


Parvill Holiday Work

by nyanzo



Series: Holiday Parvill [1]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:33:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 52,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyanzo/pseuds/nyanzo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of holliday Parvill fics</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Written by http://d-d-d-drop-the-toast.tumblr.com/

Parvis loves christmas.

 

Perhaps loves isn’t the right word.

 

From the cheery, festive holiday spirit that simultaneously possessed everyone to covering every single inch of bare space with colourful and bright decorations, Parv absolutely and undoubtedly had an enthusiastic passion for the Christmas season.

 

He had never met a single soul who didn’t celebrate it simply because they hated it and was convinced those types of people only existed in movies. A real life scrooge, grinch, whatever the term was. And he had watched How the grinch stole christmas far too many times to not know what that type of person looked like.

 

Until one day, however, on the first of december, or how he liked to call it christmas first, he was walking downtown. The whole town, no matter what part, exploded with cheer on the first. Candycane lights were hung from the street lamps, wreaths were put on every single shop and house door, every surface was covered red, green and white tinsel.

 

Cars that drove by had holiday stickers on the windows, people milling around wore bright red santa hats as they hurriedly shopped for presents, and a thirty foot tree already decorated with lights, bulb and tinsel sat in an empty parking lot next to town hall. Everyone was buzzing with spirit.

 

Parv, dressed in the ugliest christmas sweater he owned; stitched on green christmas trees covered in buttons that served as ornaments with an illegible merry christmas covering the image, sighed happily. He fixed the collar of the sweater that was two sizes too big and began to walk.

 

He admired the lights; the sun was behind light grey clouds that promised snow very soon, but it was still high in the sky. No need for the lights to be on, yet they were and Parv loved it. The buildings were attached so there was no telling who’s decorations belonged to who, but it didn’t matter.

 

He smiled at the passersbys who returned the gesture. Everyone, young or old, felt the spirit and there were no frowns in the faces passing him. He walked down the sidewalk, covered in a fresh blanket of snow from the previous night but thankfully there wasn’t any cold breeze. He walked, now actually unsure as to what his previous destination was, but then stopped short after a few minutes.

 

His gaze followed the line of stores on the other side of the street; all of them fully decorated except for one, he noticed. It was a little bigger than the ones it rested between, so it looked fairly odd, seeing as he builders were all connected. Parv frowned, shoved his hands in his pant pockets, and crossed the street quickly.

 

This side of the street wasn’t that busy, so he could easily make his way around without getting in someone's way. He came to a stop in front of the store. It was made from smooth stone, but painted a blue so light it was almost grey. There were three windows a meter apart from each other; each was at least two meters tall and only half a foot wide.

 

You couldn’t see inside, seeing as they were fogged up and covered with grey blinds. He glanced up at the white letters on the plain awning sticking out of the wall that read Strife Solutions. Parv had heard about this place before, but never had any reason to go. If you break something, no matter what it is, this guy will fix it.

 

But why wasn’t there any decorations on the store? Didn’t he know it was almost christmas? Maybe he just didn’t have time for it right now - it’s only the first after all. He was tempted to walk away, but he was also curious, so he walked over to the door with nothing on it except a mail slot.

 

When he entered, a small bell above the door jingled. It wasn’t christmas like,it just resembled a cow bell. His attention was withdrawn from that almost immediately because of the sudden heat that hit him. Sure, some people had heat in their house, but this was just ridiculous. He almost started sweating.

 

He pulled at his sweater and glanced around the store. It was more spacious than it looked on the outside. The floor was hardwood and the walls, what wasn’t covered in all sorts of posters or diagrams or shelves full of stuff, was brick. As soon as he entered, there was a large bookshelf to his left, its shelves covered in boxes.

 

He took a few steps forward, disregarding the wrinkled red carpet. There was a few meters of bare space in all directions from the entrance, but beyond that there was tables shaped like boxes full of toys or metal or other broken things placed in no particular order all around the room. There were several bookshelves around the room covered in the same thing. It wasn’t the neatest place he had ever been, but it was something. 

 

Against the left wall, there was a path to the counter that stretched a few meters in length and it seemed to be the neatest thing in the store. A single cash register sat on it, and on the wall behind the counter was covered with posters, most about quotes saying how important work was.

 

Next to it was a wooden door with a single window, and the light looked like it was on inside. But before he could think about it any further, he was interrupted by a voice.

 

“Hi!”

 

He hadn’t noticed the girl approach him from the back of the store. He blinked a few times and took her into view. She looked as if she had been in a hurry, her red tee shirt was ruffled, even though it fit her perfectly, brown hair stuck out of place from her once, probably neat, ponytail and the rest of it looked frizzed.

 

She had a friendly smile but she looked slightly embarrassed to be seen as is. Glasses sat upon her freckle covered nose. She was tall and slender, probably in her late teens or early twenties. She was pretty, so Parv found himself staring as he managed to meet her smile with his own.

 

“My name’s Jenny!” She said, for the lack of name tag, “What can I help you with?”

 

“And I’m-” He blinked, momentarily forgetting his name, “Uh, christmas- Shit, I mean uh, wow you’re pretty. No, fuck-”

 

Jenny laughed and he closed his mouth to prevent himself from being more stupid. After she finished, she sighed and brushed the bangs from her face.

 

“Well, first of all thank you.” She tilted her head, still smiling, “But I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a proper answer to the question.”

“Sorry, you took me by surprise.” He apologised sheepishly, “But anyway..”

 

He paused to remember why he came in here.

 

“You’ve never been here before have you?” She guessed.

 

Parv shook his head.

 

She sighed again, “Honestly, I’m still surprised people still come in here at all anymore, seeing as the boss-” She paused and glanced over her shoulder to the door beside the counter, “Well, he’s not exactly a people person.” She glanced back at Parv. “Anyway, what can I help you with?”

 

Parv shifted. After glancing around the christmas-less room, he remembered fully why he came in here.

 

“Where’s the christmas spirit?” He exclaimed, “It’s so boring in here and out there with the lack of decoration. What gives?”

 

Jenny scratched her neck and gave him a sheepish smile, “We- Well, I mean, the boss isn’t exactly a huge fan of christmas. He hates it, to say the least.”

 

Parv’s eyes widened, “He hates christm-” His jaw dropped in shock, “What are you talking about he isn’t a fan, he - what?!”

 

She nodded, as if she agreed completely.

 

“It’s been like this for the three years I’ve worked here,” She sighed, scratching her neck, “No amount of convincing will change his mind.”

 

“I can’t believe someone would..” He started, too many thoughts to focus on one, “He hates christmas! That’s insane! Where is he, I wanna yell at him.”

 

As if on cue, the door next to the counter opened, it’s rusty hinges squeaking in protest but were met with an angry huff. Both Parv and Jenny turned to face the sound; Jenny letting out a heavy sigh while Parv just stared, unaware of what he was getting himself into. The new person didn’t even bother shutting the door before storming over to them.

 

“What is with all this yelling?” He demanded.

 

Parv looked at him, then at Jenny who gave him a Well here he is expression, then back to the other guy. Parv took a moment to eye him over; They were exactly the same height, but he looked more strict and serious, something Parv could never achieve. He was slender and stood straight, making him seem more assertive.

 

His blonde hair was perhaps a few inches in length, and looked as if it was attempted to be combed back like some sort of stereotypical professional businessman, but still stuck up in strands. His green eyes were bright, but narrowed in a cold glare directed right at Parv who shifted.

 

He wore a black waistcoat that fit against his frame nicely and a dark red, button up dress shirt underneath with a ruffled collar. Parv raised his eyebrows as he continued looking the other over; black pants and dress shoes. This was a small town, a small store inside of an even smaller town, not new york city.

 

There was absolutely no reason for him to be dressing this formal in a simple store like this, but hey, some people took their jobs seriously. Parv returned his gaze to the others eyes, assuming this was the man in charge. He glanced over at Jenny who was now looking anywhere but at her boss.

 

“Well?” He continued, impatiently, “I’m waiting.”

 

Parv smiled, “Well it seems like you’re the one yelling, sir, mr, bossman guy.”

 

Beside him, Jenny quietly giggled but covered her mouth with the back of her hand to contain herself. The man’s eyes just narrowed further, clearly not amused.

 

“That’s Strife to you,” He corrected Parv, voice level, “And I don’t think I like your attitude.”

 

“Well, I don’t like people who don’t like christmas.” Parv shot back, priding himself in his ability to think of comebacks quickly.

 

He tried to hold Strife’s gaze, but the other was now glaring at him so intensely he looked away first.

 

“That’s what this is about?” He demanded, gaze shifting to Jenny who had taken a sudden interest in the ceiling. He looked at Parv again, “You’re one of those people, I take it.” He said with disgust.

 

Parv tilted his head in mild curiosity, “Those people?”

 

“An Annoying passerby who walks in here with their stupid christmas hats and ugly sweaters, complaining and trying to tell me how I should run my shop.” Strife told him bitterly, “I’m going to tell you what I tell them; I hate christmas, so get out before I have to kick you out.”

 

“You hate christmas! How can you hate christmas?” He exclaimed again, voice raising which got an amused look from Jenny, “That’s like hating puppies! Don’t tell me you hate christmas and puppies!?”

 

Strife huffed, crossing his arms. “That’s it, get out of my store.”

 

“You do don’t you!?”

 

“I’ll call the police.”

 

“I’ll call PETA.”

 

Strife growled and walked forward, grabbing Parv’s arm so tightly his fingernails dug into his skin. He yanked Parv toward the door impatiently like a frustrated parent leading their annoying child out of public. Parv started loudly protesting, insisting that he had rights and what Strife was doing wasn’t very christmas-like.

 

With an irritated huff, Strife opened the door and with it came a cold gust of wind that only seemed to worsen his mood. With one final effort, he moved Parv in front of him and pushed him out into the sidewalk with such force he almost bumped into someone and nearly fell to the ground.

 

He turned back around, but Strife had already slammed the door shut and shouted something, but his voice was muffled. He glanced over to see the blinds shifting, trying to get more closed than they already were so Parv just sighed heavily and brushed himself off. He took one more glance at the building before turning to walk away.

 

Parvis loves christmas.

 

He had never met a single soul who didn’t. Then he met William Strife.

_____________________________________________________________________

 

After being kicked out of a store, most people would know better than to go back the very next day. Parv wasn’t most people. He got up early in the morning with plans to go over to a friends house to help them decorate, but since they were still sleeping, he decided to take another trip downtown.

 

Dressed in an equally tacky sweater as the one yesterday and jeans, he walked through the less crowded sidewalk - everyone was probably at work, which means Mr. grouchy pants of Strife Solutions would definitely be there. He quickly crossed the street, waving at the drivers who passed.

 

After a few minutes, he saw the building he was looking for. It stuck out like a sore thumb with it’s complete absence of decorations and it made him wonder if neighbouring shops had ever complained about it. There was poorly placed open sign he hadn’t noticed the previous day sitting in the window closest to the door.

 

He braced himself as he opened the door to the same warmness as yesterday, relishing it because it was slightly colder out today. He stepped inside quickly and shut the door behind him before glancing around. His eyes landed on the office door which was closed and the lights were off, so maybe it was safe to assume Strife wasn’t here.

 

“Welcome back!” 

 

He glanced to the right to see Jenny walking toward him, a smile on her face. She looked happy to see him, given they had just met yesterday. 

 

“I take it boss-man isn’t around?” He questioned, eyes darting around the store.

 

She laughed, “He usually doesn't come in until noon. He’s probably at home organising some sort of anti-christmas rally.”

 

Parv picked up a pen from the nearby shelf and started twirling it, “He’s gonna have a hard time gathering people in this town. I’ve never met a bigger Scrooge!” He exclaimed, ignoring the fact that he’d never even met one. “What’s his deal, anyways?”

 

“He’s always been like this,” She explained with a shrug, “I tried asking but he doesn’t talk about it.”

 

He sat the pen back on the shelf, “What about you? Do you like christmas?”

 

Jenny’s eyes lit up like christmas lights, “Are you kidding? I freaking love christmas and everything about it! I don’t understand why he, or anyone else, doesn't like it.”

 

“Right?” Parv grinned at the response. “It’s complete bullshit. You should, like, protest this. Stick it to the man.”

 

She sighed, exasperated, “I wish I could. But he’s fired everyone who’s tried.”

 

Parv went wide eyed, “What? He can’t do that, can he?”

 

“Probably not, but he does anyway.” She continued, “He doesn't like being talked back to, hates being told what he should or shouldn’t do, especially around this time of year.”

 

Parv walked farther into the store, running a hand through his hair as he glanced around, wondering what he should do. He decided to walk over to the closed, and probably locked, office door and peek into the room. There was only a thin section of wall right next to the door that was a window, but it was covered with more blinds.

 

He squinted through but couldn’t see anything. He figured the room looked like some boring, generic office cubicle. A boring space for a boring person. Either that, or it was full of anti-christmas plans. Maybe it looked like the Grinch’s lair. That wouldn’t be surprising. He moved away from the window and turned back around. 

 

“I don’t suppose Strife has a dog, huh?”

 

Jenny squinted at him from where she stood. “He hates animals.”

 

“I knew it!”

 

She rolled her eyes at him. “So why’d you come by?”

 

“No real reason, I guess.” He muses thoughtfully, walking forward again, “I’m not one to give up on things easily, so I thought I’d come pick a fight with your boss again.”

 

“I don’t think you’ll be able to change his mind about christmas no matter how hard you try,” She sighs, scratching her neck, “I’ve being trying for years.”

 

“Well, he’s never met anyone like me before.” Parv grins.

 

Her eyes sparkled as she stared at him for a moment, “I certainly don’t doubt that.”

 

“Maybe I’ll be the person to finally make him enjoy christmas!” His grin widened but she just rolled her eyes again. 

 

“Oh, please.” She scoffed, “Enjoy Christmas? William Strife? The man with the giant stick perpetually shoved up his-” Before she could finish her sentence - which Parv was looking forward to hearing the end of - the door opened abruptly and her attention shifted. “As-sir, ahh, hey boss…” She cleared her throat. “You’re here early.”

 

The look on Strife’s face told them both he had heard every word. He closed the door behind him, never looking away but he raised his eyebrows in amusement - but it was the sort of look you’d see on a parent who knew exactly what you did and were about to fuck up your day.

 

“Oh, excuse me, Jennifer. Don’t let me interrupt what you were saying.” He smiled, but there was no friendliness in it, “Please, go on. I’d love to hear what my hardworking, efficient employee has to say about me.”

 

She opened her mouth to respond, but Parv quickly stepped in.

 

“You’ve got a huge stick shoved up your ass.” He said blatantly, making Jenny cover her mouth trying to hold back a laugh.

 

Strife’s smile faded as he turned his eyes on Parv, as if just noticing he was there. He stared with that same cold glare as yesterday.

 

“You again?” he practically growled, his mood already soured.

 

“Did you miss me?” Parv asked innocently, “Cause I sure missed your smiling face.”

 

Strife narrowed his eyes, “Get out.”

 

“But officer, I’m not causing any trouble.” He pointed out, walking away from them both to pick up a small, metal airplane out of a basket on the floor, “I’m just browsing your wonderful shop.”

 

With a huff, Will crossed his arms, “I’ll call the police.”

 

“So, you fix stuff, huh?” Parv asked with an amused tone while ignoring him completely, turning the airplane over in his hands before looking over at Strife, “Can you fix your attitude towards christmas?”

 

“No, and I won’t be able to fix the broken arm that you’re about to get either.”

 

Parv whistled, “Threatening physical assault as well.” He paused, setting the plane back down, “Trying to hurt someone else means you have a crush on them, y’know.”

 

“Maybe in kindergarten.” Strife retaliated, “But as you can see, we’re not in public school now are we?”

 

He looked over at Jenny, who looked like she was enjoying their childish argument back and fourth. Jenny met his eyes and smiled - it was clear she was grateful for taking the weight off her shoulders. 

 

“Maybe we are, ‘cause you’re acting like a huge baby.” Parv said in a matter-of-fact tone before turning back around to look at the basket.

 

“Jenny, get him out of my store.” Strife huffed, so Parv glanced over as Jenny walked towards him.

 

He decided to not make it harder for her, so he simply sighed and followed her towards the door while Will continued to glare at him. He pulled at his green sweater which was actually starting to itch - perhaps it would of helped to wear some sort of tee shirt below it. He looked at Will, who was wearing the same thing as yesterday. Even Jenny had changed shirts.

 

“Don’t come back.” Strife added as Jenny opened the door.

 

Parv exited but turned around with a smile, “No promises.”

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

Day three, Parv went back earlier than the previous morning. He didn’t plan on it, but it was a wednesday and there was nothing going on and ended up waking up early. He cooked himself breakfast of bacon and eggs and then turned off the christmas tree lights that had been on the whole night accidentally. He usually turned them off before he went to bed.

 

Next thing he knew, he was heading downtown. There wasn’t a whole lot of people milling about today, but the few people who were got to enjoy the warm sun shining from the cloudless sky. It was actually warm today so he was glad he only decided to wear a tee shirt. It didn’t stop him from wearing a santa hat though.

 

He hoped it snowed soon - it wouldn’t be a proper christmas without snow. The grass was green and visible and he prefered when it was covered in cold, white snow. The thought made him smile a bit - Strife hated animals and christmas - did he hate snow too? He probably hated seeing kids having a good time in the snow. He’d have to ask.

 

When he got to the familiar store, he was a little surprised to see Jenny’s face peering through the blinds. He waved at her with a smile and she vanished - seconds later the door opened and she greeted him there, stepping aside as he walked in with a laugh. Thankfully, the heat was turned off today.

 

She went on to explain that Will wasn’t there right now because he was at some sort of ‘business’ meeting, doing professional things. He wouldn’t be back until late afternoon which was fairly good for Parv. It gave him a good opportunity to fully walk around and explore the store which he hadn’t seen much if before.

 

After about an hour of looking around, picking up things and asking questions, he became bored. This really wasn’t his type of store, but it didn’t matter that much. They kept each other entertained, picking up random objects and making up stories about them, talked about their love for christmas but mainly just talked about Strife.

 

Parv wanted to know more about him, and he knew Strife wasn’t going to just walk in and start talking about his life. The topic of discussion mainly consisted of asking what was wrong with him and throwing theories back and forth about why he hated Christmas. Maybe he was religious? Maybe he was just the literal incarnation of Scrooge.

 

They talked for another hour or so, walking around the store and laughing while Jenny did impressions of Strife, all of which included being grumpy and quotes from A Christmas Carol or Santa Clause. Only a handful of people came in, asking to have christmas decorations fixed. They looked relieved to see Strife wasn’t there.

 

After they left, Jenny had to explain that Strife doesn't even look at christmas decorations. So if someone brings their in, he either gives it to Jenny to fix or kicks them out of the store completely. This explanation shocks Parv even more and only makes him want to yell at Strife some more - without being kicked out.

 

And around three in the afternoon the man himself finally enters the store. Parv didn’t know why he was still there when he could be doing many other things - but he figured he stayed because he was actually having fun - even at the expense of probably being banned from the store forever. Oh well.

 

He was standing behind a shelf so he wasn't noticed immediately while Jenny greeted Strife at the door. He sounded almost not grumpy, but as soon as Parv stepped out into the narrow path, both eyes were on him immediately. He smiled brightly and waved at Strife who just once again narrowed his eyes.

 

He didn’t kick him out though, at least not within the first five seconds of conversation. He elected to ignore Parv as he walked over to his office to unlock the door, while Parv followed him, asking pointless questions. Strife continued to ignore him as he opened the door and put his briefcase inside.

 

He closed the door, locking it again, then turned around to see Parv standing there, a smile still on his face as Jenny sighed from where she now sat on the counter. Parv tilted his head, about to start talking again when Strife just pushed past him with an irritated huff and made his way behind the counter.

 

Parv continued to ask questions but was only met with one word replies - he figured Strife must have been in a slightly good mood because so far he hadn’t snapped or kicked him out quite yet. He was expecting it, and wouldn’t really be upset when it happened. He glanced over at Jenny who was watching the scene with amusement.

 

Strife sat down on the tall barstool, the flat surface was covered in uncomfortable looking black leather. He finally met Parv’s eyes.

 

“Are you done?”

 

Parv’s smile widened, “Probably. I’ll think of more for tomorrow.”

 

“Oh no, what a disaster, we’re closed tomorrow.” Strife said in a bored tone, then looked down at his phone, “Looks like you’ll have to find someone else to harass.”

 

“I hope you’re going to miss me as much as I’ll miss you!” He said, taking a few steps backward as Strife glanced up and gave him a look, “Yeah, I know. I’m leaving.” He smiled at Jenny, then winked at Strife, “See ya on friday!”

 

As he turned for the door, he heard a quiet giggle and muttered death threats. Yup, he would come back, and it was going to be fun.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

Over the course of the next week, Parv went back five times. Each time we went, it was fairly early and was always greeted by Jenny who was expecting him to show up by this point. The day consisted of them talking at great lengths about many things, most of the time the topic ended up back at Christmas or Strife. 

 

Each time, Strife would come in wearing the same neutral expression, sometimes with coffee in hand, sometimes with a phone, and try to ignore them. It didn’t last long, as Parv would always greet him and being talking like they were lifelong friends - he usually tried talking about christmas and only sometimes talked about something else. 

 

Three out of five times, Parv was kicked out. Either it was because he talked too much, mentioned the word christmas one too many times or countlessly compared Strife to Scrooge, maybe all three, but it clearly irritated Will. One of the times, Parv got Jenny to sing Jingle bells with him loudly and enthusiastically.

 

He was kicked out, of course. But that didn’t stop him from going back the next day, or the next, or the day after that. He was seriously pushing his luck by pushing Will’s buttons, but both him and Jenny wanted to see how long it would take before Strife actually did something about it. So far it was just harmless talking. 

 

One of those days, he tried to play christmas music - but he hid it. Strife came in to the sound of both Parv and Jenny giggling while muffled Frosty the Snowman played from somewhere in the store. His mood had soured immediately, he glared straight at Parv and demanded that he turn off the music. Parv accidentally forgot where he hid it.

 

It took a solid twenty minutes of prolonged searching and stalling until he ‘found’ it again but he took his sweet time walking back over to Strife, and Jenny, who was in a fit of laughter by this point. As soon as the music stopped, Strife declared his hatred for the repetitive and childish songs before kicking Parv out.

 

Somewhere during the second week, he realised he had completely forgotten about his goal to make William Strife enjoy christmas, a task that was deemed impossible by Jenny, and instead had just been purposely been getting on Strife’s nerves. This was a factor he needed to change. After all, there was only two weeks until christmas left!

 

Needing to step up his game, he decided he needed to tone it down a bit. He dressed in a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans - instead of a santa hat he put on a grey beanie over his messy, unbrushed hair that stuck out in strands. He also decided to put on a grey jacket since it had finally decided to snow.

 

The ground was only covered with a thin layer, but already there were people wearing boots and shoveling the front of their stores. The sun was still trying to shine was was mainly hidden by the clouds but the air was chilly. He could see his breath and he shoved his hands into his pockets, and wondered why he didn’t bring gloves. 

 

Jenny didn’t greet him at the door as he walked in because she was helping someone at the counter. She waved at him after hearing the bell ring while the person just glanced over his shoulder, relaxing a bit seeing Parv. He must have thought Strife had come in. The thought almost made him laugh as he walked towards the counter.

 

She had just finished explaining something about the broken lights on the wreath he had brought in when Parv approached. He quickly nodded and thanked her for her time before hurrying out of the store. Seconds later, just as Parv was taking off his jacket, the door opened again and Strife walked through, usual clothes covered by a coat.

 

He didn’t look irritated upon seeing Parv, he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he headed for his office. Jenny had since taken a seat on the stool and Parv leaned on the wooden counter, both of them watching Strife take his coat off and put it in his office. When he turned around and saw both of them staring, he raised his eyebrows.

 

“What?”

 

Jenny shrugged, “You’re here early.”

 

“Maybe he came early so he had time to set up decorations.” Parv nudged Jenny, who giggled at the thought.

 

Strife elected to ignore him, “I decided to come in before the snow got worse.” Parv opened his mouth to say something, but Strife silenced him with a look. “And before you ask, no, I’m not a huge fan of snow either.”

 

Parv flashed Jenny an incredulous look, but decided not to argue.

 

“I see you finally decided to wear normal attire for once,” Strife noticed, eyeing his plain clothes, looking even relieved, “At least you don’t look totally ridiculous today.”

 

Parv grinned and struck a pose, “You like? I picked them out just for you.”

 

Strife huffed, then turned to walk back over to the door. “It’s like talking to a child..” 

 

Parv took his eyes off of the other for a moment to glance at Jenny, whose eyes flashed in disbelief. She was still staring at Strife.

 

“I have never heard that man give another human being a compliment in my life,” She said, before he could ask, “Go check his temperature. Maybe he’s sick.”

 

“He’s not sick, he’s just finally starting to fall for my charms.” Parv suggested, grin getting wider.

 

Jenny snorted.

 

Strife walked back over, putting a pen in his pocket. He looked at both of them, and Parv noticed his cheeks were still red from the cold outside. In a way, it was kind of adorable. But if he were to voice that this very second, he’d get kicked out in a second. Parv figured there’d be no chance in hell you call a guy like William Strife adorable and get away with it.

 

He leaned over and whispered this fact to Jenny, all the while staring at Strife who narrowed his eyes when Jenny’s eyes flickered up to him and giggled. She nodded and mumbled her agreement which only made Strife’s eyes fill with suspicion. In order to avoid being kicked out, Parv leaned away and cleared his throat.

 

“We were just commenting on how much the colour of your cheeks resembles that red shirt you’re wearing,” He explained with a smile, “Both are very red.”

 

“What do you expect, it’s cold outside.” Strife grumbled as he went for his office. 

He vanished inside his office for a few moments and emerged with a few pieces of paper which he handed to Jenny. 

 

“So, what’re your plans for the holidays?” Parv asked, once Strife looked back over at him.

 

“I’m going to be working, I don’t have holidays.” He replied, brushing past Parv to get behind the counter, “Like always.”

 

Parv wasn’t sure how much farther this guys hate for christmas could go. He was going to really work hard to change his attitude. 

 

“Have you ever heard of a day off?” Parv asked with a sigh, “Or are those the stuff of myth and legend to you?”

 

Strife huffed, “I don’t see the point in being lazy when you can be productive.”

 

“Wow, you must be real fun at parties.” Parv rolled his eyes.

 

“Why would I go to parties, do you even know-” Strife started.

 

“Okay!” Parv interrupted, pushing himself away from the counter, “You’re a very, very, very boring person and don’t know how to have fun.”

 

Strife narrowed his eyes and Jenny watched, amused.

 

“I’m fairly certain your type of fun includes either skydiving or doing some sort of blood ritual for satan.” Strife retorted, crossing his arms.

 

“And what’s wrong with that?” Parv exclaimed, eyes wide, “Sure you could die while skydiving, but Satan seems like a cool fucking dude.” 

 

Strife stared at him in disbelief, “There’s no way you have friends.”

 

“I do, as a matter of fact.” Parv shot back, pride in his voice, “And we get together on saturdays to praise our lord and savior Satan.”

 

“You’re unbelievable.” Strife told him while Jenny snickered.

 

“That’s my middle name.” Parv said with a smile.

 

Strife regarded him for a moment, “I don’t even know your first name, and it’s been two weeks of non-stop tormenting.”

 

“But I did tell you.” Parv pouted, “It’s out two week anniversary and you’ve forgotten?”

 

“Remind me why I haven’t kicked you out yet.”

 

Parv paused for a moment, “Because your heart is kind and you’re a generous person.”

 

Beside Strife, Jenny slapped her hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter.

 

“Do enlighten me then.” He continued in a bored tone, like he couldn't care less and he probably didn’t.

 

“Alex Unbelievably attractive and insanely smart Parvis.” He said with a wink.

 

Strife kicked him out.

 

In the next few days, Parv liked to think he was making progress. He had adopted the practice of talking about normal, boring things instead of exciting and relevant christmasy holiday stuff. Of course, he went back to wearing christmas sweaters and hats but Strife just ignored it. 

 

With each day, it took a little bit longer for him to get kicked out because the other was usually uninterested in the conversation. And on good days - he had full length discussions. He liked to push his luck a lot, liked to see what type of things he could get away with, liked to see how he could do things and how it would affect Will’s mood. 

 

He was clever and sneaky with his tactics, or so he liked to think. One day, he set a small, plastic snowman on the counter and it sat there for the rest of the day. It was gone the next day.

 

Parv often tried to hide christmas-like things within the store, often with Jenny’s help. He brought in tinsel and tried hanging it around the front door, so it wasn’t noticeable to anyone when they first entered. Strife didn’t even notice it until a few hours later when he announced he had to leave. He ordered them to take it down.

 

He even suggested putting up a tree, but they both agreed it would end up with Strife going to jail for murder.They settled for smaller things, like attempting to put small ornaments in different places, giving Strife christmas cards, eating candy canes in his presence and singing songs.

 

Singing christmas songs was Parv’s personal favourite. He loved every single song and knew the lyrics to them too. Often he got Jeny to sing along. Parv would just shout jingle bells from the top of his lungs, he wouldn’t stop even when Strife physically picked him up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes to kick him out.

 

He needed to be more elaborate. He tried being professional, he tried being childish, he tried being both at the same time. Neither tactics seemed to work - so while he was at home, in the middle of the night, an idea hit him like a train. If he couldn’t get Strife to decorate his store, he’d have to get him out of it.

 

He put it into action the next day. He hurried out of bed, glad that he didn’t have anything planned for that day, and hurried over to Strife Solutions. He burst through the door so abruptly, Jenny actually yelped and dropped the basket of trinkets she was carrying. The bell crashed against the wall and made him jump too.

 

She saw the wild look in his eyes and huge grin on his face, and understood he had a plan immediately. Jenny picked up the basket and placed it on the counter as he bounced over while quickly explaining his plan, waving his arms around for emphasis and unable to stand still.

 

He had no idea why he was so excited - it was doubtful Strife would even agree to leave the store once he got here, especially with Parv. But if he did manage to get the other out, he wouldn’t say much. He’d just act happy and smile and imply how festive everything was.

 

“So let me get this straight,” Jenny started after he finished explaining, “You want to take my boss. William Strife, on a date?”

 

Still fired up, Parv opened his mouth to respond but quickly stopped. He didn’t think that far ahead. A date? Would it be a date? Did it seem like a date? Did he even want to go on a date? He frowned. He had been so concerned in converting Strife into the christmasy spirit that he hadn’t thought about anything else.

 

He stared off into the distance, zoning out completely. Sure Strife was the exact opposite of him, he hated christmas, he was grumpy and short tempered, he didn’t know how to have fun nor how to interact with people, yet he was kind of enjoyable to be around as of late. He wasn’t quite sure why, but that was the case.

 

It wasn’t because Strife was hot. No, definitely not.

 

Shit.

 

“Holy shi- You have a crush on him don’t you??” Jenny suddenly sprung forward from where she was sitting on the counter.

 

Parv remained staring into nothing.

 

“Oh my god, you do.” Jenny was wide eyed, the expression on her face showing it was probably the worst thing she had ever heard.

 

Still, he said nothing.

 

“Parv!” He clapped her hands together in front if his face which made him blink.

 

“I think you’re right.” He finally mumbled.

 

She stared at him starstruck, “How did that even happen?” She breathed, treating this like a life or death scenario, “Sure, he’s good looking, but he’s a dickbag.”

 

Parv thought back to the first week he had discovered this Store - talking shit about Strife’s lack of spirit while the other glared and kicked him out - complete idiotic and childish bickering back and fourth. He usually scoffed at Parv’s love for christmas which was a very valid reason not to like the guy.

 

But yet, as the days progressed, things got better. They started having conversations, he got Strife talking about his business, what the reason behind it was, or just anything that happened to come up - anything besides Christmas that is. And even if that’s where the topic turned, Strife wasn’t as quick as he used to be to dismiss it.

 

Perhaps operation Get Will Strife to enjoy christmas or die trying was actually starting to work. He still didn’t put up decorations, or wear ugly sweaters or listen to holiday songs, but he learned to tolerate them a bit more. It was. Maybe. He couldn’t know for sure but he really, really wanted to.

 

Blinking back into reality, he went to respond with a simple I don’t know, but the door opened. Jenny looked towards it and Parv spun around, hoping to see Strife and it was indeed. He had entered without a coat, because it was fairly warm out there given that it had snowed again last night.

 

Strife looked over and caught them both staring.

 

“What now?”

 

Parv quickly spun to face Jenny who was now staring at him again with an unreadable expression. She made this seem like he was debating on asking the president if he could borrow the white house for a day. Whatever her thoughts, Parv had already made him his mind so he turned back around again.

 

“Don’t you have friends you could be hanging around?” Strife questioned as he walked forward, brushing his outfit off.

 

“I do, but I’ve been thinking--”

 

“Sounds dangerous.”

 

“--about something.” Parv started, shifting his feet a little. Why did Jenny have to say it was a date. Now he felt like he was asking someone out on a date. 

 

Strife walked over to the counter and picked up a stack of papers, “By all means, tell me. The suspense is killing me.”

 

“Why don’t we go out and get a coffee or something,” Parv said quickly, trying to make it seem not like a proposal for a date, “Just to get you out of this dead, spiritless place.”

 

After a pause, Strife raised his eyebrows and smirked, almost amused, “Are you trying to ask me out on a date, Parvis?” He turned to face the other.

 

Fuck.

 

“Absolutely not, it’s just some grown up thing that grown ups do.” Parv assured him, trying to keep his calm while Jenny struggled to keep in a laugh, “And definitely not an attempt to get you surrounded in christmas stuff.”

 

He could tell Strife could see right through him - he was an open book and an incredibly bad liar. 

 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you were an adult.” Strife faked a look of mock surprise, “I was under the impression you were just a tall baby.”

 

Parv looked at him, then to Jenny, then back to him. They both looked amused and were probably silently making fun of him. Damn her for suggesting the date thing in the first place. It just made things more difficult, so he huffed.

 

“So is that a yes or a no..?”

 

To his relief, the other didn’t immediately say no. Strife actually studied him for a moment and tilted his head ever so slightly, eyes flickering with unreadable emotions. He was probably thinking of all the different ways to say no. He should have known Strife would never go for it. He’s an idiot. Jenny was-

 

“Just this once.” Strife finally said, voice cutting through his thoughts like a knife, “But I choose the place and you’re paying.”

 

Parv gave him a goofy grin, “I wouldn’t dream of it any other way.”

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

Jenny yelled goodbye after them, like a mom sending off her kids. Parv enthusiastically waved back and Strife mumbled something, Just like he thought, as soon as they started walking down the sidewalk, Strife just stared right ahead, not caring to look around like Parv did.

 

The eyes found them immediately - people knew Parv, people undoubtedly knew Strife, and the curious mixed with confused stares were probably wondering what the cheeriest person in town was doing with the grumpiest. He didn’t think Strife noticed, because he was doing his best to ignore everyone else.

 

Parv didn’t know where they were going - he only knew of the one coffee shop which was closest to where he lived, but Strife was leading him in another direction. It only took about five minutes until they crossed a street and saw one on the street corner which wasn’t fairly busy today. 

 

They walked through the doors and the sweet aroma of coffee filled the air, though it was faintly mixed with the smell of pine from the large christmas tree in the corner. 

 

“Holy shit, look what’s in the corner, Strife.. It’s a,” He started, then leaned over and whispered, “christmas tree.”

 

Annoyed, Strife swatted Parv away who began laughing, attracting the attention of the other few patrons in the cafe. However, he pretended not to notice Strife staring at the tree for a few extra seconds. He looked away when it was their turn to order - he got a boring, plain old coffee.

 

There was a bit of arguing; Strife wanted to get the drinks and leave and Parv managed to convince him to sit. The second argument was over where to sit, but Parv won that one too and they ended up sitting in the booth right next to the window. Outside, people milled past the window, going about their daily lives.

 

“Don’t tell me hate sprinkles in your drink because they’re christmas colours.” Parv said, eyeing the others drink.

 

Strife took a sip of his before replying, “My dislike of Christmas has nothing to do with colours and everything to do with the fact I don’t like eatable things in my drinks.” He set down his cup, “Unlike you.”

 

Parv looked down at his own drink. He saw the words Christmas Supreme Surprise on the menu and ordered it on the spot, not really caring what it looked or tasted like. It was in a cardboard cup, but the liquid inside was covered by a mound of whipped cream covered in red and green sprinkles.

A candy cane stuck out from the mess, so he pulled it out and licked it to test the taste. Hot chocolate mixed with a minty flavour. He had no idea how he was going to drink it, but that didn’t matter much because he started licking at the whipped cream like it was ice cream, momentary unaware that Strife was still there.

 

He looked up, whipped cream covering the tip of his nose.

 

“You are the strangest person I have ever met.” Strife told him.

 

“Thank you.” Parv smiled, going back to stick his face in his drink.

 

When most of the whipped cream was gone, he brought the cup up to his mouth and took a slip. It was hot chocolate mixed with melted chocolate and leftover flavour from the candy cane. It was possibly the greatest thing he had ever tasted. He got a little carried away, sipping so much that some spilled down his chin and burned him a little.

 

When he pulled it away,the leftover whipped cream gave him a moustache that covered his top lip. Once again, he glanced back over at Strife who was staring at him.

 

“Is there something on my face?” Parv questioned.

 

Strife threw a handful of napkins at him.

 

“You’re not very fun.” Parv pointed out as he wiped his face off.

 

“Perhaps that’s a good thing.” He replied, taking a sip of his coffee, “If I was fun, I’d end up like you and then I’d know I was doing something wrong.”

 

Parv rolled his eyes, “That makes it easy to do an impression of you. Here, watch this..” He set his drink down and crossed his arms. He mustered up the biggest scowl he could manage but he just looked ridiculous, ”Grr, I’m Will Strife,” He said in a deep voice, “I hate puppies and Parv because I’m a grouch. Grrr, I’m annoyed.”

He noticed Strife’s lips twitch in a smile but quickly covered it up by taking a drink. Parv relaxed his posture and started laughing at himself, getting the attention from someone at a nearby table.

 

“Not bad, but you forgot the part about Christmas.”

 

Parv frowned again and opened his mouth to impersonate the other again but he just burst into a fit of giggles. This time, however, Strife chuckled as well.

 

“What’dya know!” Parv exclaimed, “You do have emotions!”

 

“Only sometimes.” Strife said, but there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

 

They say there for a few more minutes, talking back and fourth. The mood had been lifted, so it was easier for Parv to joke around and even get a positive reaction from the other. As he brought his drink up to his mouth, he smiled, with the thought that he was actually getting somewhere.

 

He glanced out the window to see a little girl across the street with a box in her hand and a sign at her feet. It read ‘hand decorated ornaments, one dollar’ and then under it explained it was to help her dad who was sick. He watched as every minute or so, a few people would stop and help her out.

 

Parv looked away and over to Strife, who was now staring at the same thing as well. He couldn't read the expression on the others face, but he was clearly thinking about something. After a moment, he seemed to notice Parv watching him so he tore his gaze away from the girl and looked over at him.

 

“Kinda nice to see, don’t ya think?” Parv asked, “Christmas isn’t all bad.”

 

“Hm..” Strife mumbled, still thinking about something.

 

Parv paused for a moment, fingers tapping his cup. He stared at it for a few seconds, then returned his gaze to the other.

 

“Can I ask you something?” 

 

“You just did.” Strife said.

 

Since Parv was usually the one to pull that card, he went quiet for a moment. But he finally found his words, after not knowing how to ask.

 

“Why do you hate christmas?”

 

Strife trained his eyes on his cup. There, Parv thought, I just lost all progress I just made. I’m an idiot. But, much to his surprise, Strife didn’t react the way he anticipated.

 

“It’s.. complicated.” He finally said, “I don’t like talking about it for various reasons.”

 

Parv mentally high fived himself. He was getting somewhere. He wasn’t good at this sort of stuff, but he tried his best.

 

“You couldn’t have always hated it though, right?”

 

“No.” Strife agreed, finally looking back up at Parv, “I did have your enthusiasm for it once upon a time.”

 

Parv squinted at him, “That’s hard to believe.”

 

Again, Strife’s lips twitched up in a smile, “I know. I’m having a hard time beliving it myself.”

 

They sat in silence for a moment. Parv’s mind reeled as he tried to think of something else to say, but before he could, Strife spoke up.

 

“We should go back.” He slid out of the booth and brushed himself off.

 

Parv was disappointed. He wanted to stay for longer. This was nice. “Aw..”

 

“If you don’t complain for the next hour, I’ll let you keep up that snowglobe you put on the counter.”

 

“You noticed it?” Parv asked, surprised. He was sure Jenny hid it well enough.

 

Strife gave him a smug smile, “It’s my store, I notice everything.”

 

Parv opened his mouth to say something.

 

“Yes, even the wealth you had Jenny put up in the back room.” Strife told him, “I’m not stupid, y’know.”

 

He raised his eyebrows, “You’re not?”

 

“Parvis.”

 

Parv grinned, “Right, got it,” He slid out the booth as well, “No complaining, sarcasm, or being Parvy in general.”

 

“You learn fast.” Strife smirked, throwing his up in the trash, “Now c’mon before you lose any brain cells straining like this.”

 

“I lose brain cells by hanging out with you, though.”

 

Strife smacked him upside the head and Parv laughed, hurrying to the door before he got any worse treatments.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

For the week leading up to Christmas, Parv was a blur of excitement. He could barely sit still and always had to be out and about. He was going around giving presents to people he knew since he knew he wouldn't be seeing them on the big day, and was rewarded with cards and warm thank you’s.

 

He visited friends, some who were excited as him, and others who weren’t, family and neighbours, but most importantly, Strife Solutions. As soon as he arrived, Jenny would be there talking to him about her plans for Christmas and what she had been doing prior to the day. They were both super excited. 

 

He got a lot better with Strife. He would stop complaining when Parv started showing up again in his silly sweaters and elf ears or santa hat, he would barely bat an eye when Parv attempted to sneak something christmasy into the store, and sometimes, which he thought Parv wasn’t looking, he’d tap his fingers to the Christmas tunes.

 

But two days before christmas day, Christmas eve eve he liked to call it, he arrived to see a wreath on the door. It was enough to stop him in his tracks and stare for a moment, blinking as if it was just a hallucination. He even reached out to touch it, running his fingers over the wooden texture.

 

He didn’t mean to, but he flung open the door. It was followed by a giggle from Jenny and a ‘here we go’ from Strife. Parv stepped into the store and looked over to the source of the voices - Jenny was sitting on the counter from his side and Strife was sitting on the stool, both watching him.

 

“Am I in the right store?” He exclaimed.

 

“Yes,” Jenny smiled, “Believe it or not, it was his idea.”

 

Parv stared at Strife.

 

“It’s just a wreath.” He sighed.

 

“Not just any wreath!” Parv corrected him, “A christmas wreath!”

 

“That’s it, I’m taking it down.” He stood up from his stool.

 

Parv hurried over with a grin and pushed him back down, “No, keep it, you can take it down soon anyway.”

 

“It does look rather grotesque.”

 

He frowned, “What did I tell you about using big words?”

 

“Maybe you should procure a dictionary.” Strife said.

 

Parv made a noise of protest which made Strife smile. An actual smile - it kind of shocked him to see, but after a second he smiled back. Another second later, Jenny cleared her throat but it sounded like she was hiding a laugh. With a start, Parv realised he was still holding onto Strife’s shoulders.

 

He stepped away the same time Strife seemed to notice as well - he glanced in another direction and Parv turned to Jenny.

 

“So what’re you doing tomorrow?”

 

“I have a day off, but I haven’t thought that far ahead.” She admitted, looking back over to Strife, “I might come in and check on boss man to see if he’s terrorizing last minute shoppers or not.”

 

“People don’t come in here on Christmas eve.” Strife told her.

 

She rolled her eyes, “Gee, I wonder why.”

 

Parv looked at Strife again, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you company,”

 

He obviously wasn’t expecting that, because he blinked, “Don’t you have other things to be doing?”

 

“I’ve already done everything that needs to be done.” He announced, looking very proud of himself, “I’ve got time to spend.. unless, you don’t want me here?”

 

“No, that’s not t- “ Strife caught himself, “I mean, it’s fine. It’s not like I can keep you out anyway.”

 

Parv smiled.

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

Parv looked at his phone, reading the reply Jenny gave him. They had been texting since he woke up a few hours ago, which was oddly early. He had a habit of waking up early on Christmas eve - the excitement was almost too much to handle. Jenny felt the same way - she had sent five texts before he had even opened his eyes.

 

He tried to keep the conversation going as he put clothes on - the last tacky sweater he owned and a simple pair of jeans. He decided on a santa hat today to cover his unbrushed and messy black hair. By the time he had gotten out the door, Jenny was already asking if he was going to see Strife.

 

He had felt pretty good lately. He didn’t know if it’ because of what Jenny thought or that Strife’s mood had finally started turning around, but it made him happy. Jenny, several times suggesting that he had a crush. Each time he denied it, but did he? Now that he was finally starting to understand Strife and see a better side, he wasn’t sure.

 

He couldn’t not think about it, because everytime they exchanged a smile or interacted or ended up getting close enough to touch, the thought would invade his mind. He couldn’t tell Strife about it either. He’d end up in a body bag. So he told Jenny about it instead. She wa s girl. Girls understood this sort of stuff, right?

 

He put away his phone as he reached the shop - the wreath was still hanging there, so that made him smile. He opened the door and stepped inside, unbuttoning his jacket as he did so. He looked up to see Strife emerging from the backroom, coughing and brushing the dust off of himself.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re actually cleaning.” Parv said, walking more into the store.

 

“I was looking for your sense of humor.” Strife replied, “No luck.”

 

Parv laughed, “Let me know when you find it.”

 

Strife whistled, “That might take a while, Parvis.”

 

He rolled his eyes and went over to sit on the stool. A week or so ago, he would have been yelled at for sitting behind the counter, but Strife had stopped complaining that as well. Parv started spinning on the chair like he always did. Jenny was the one who mainly complained about that one, claiming that he was going to hurt himself.

 

“Trying to shake your brain back into place?” He heard Strife ask.

 

He stopped and the world came to a sudden, blurry halt. He put his palm to his temple in an attempt to steady himself. In front of him, there were three Strife’s. Nice. He blinked a few times then opened his eyes wide.

 

“You look ridiculous when you do that.” Strife told him, shaking his head. He had a coffee in hand.

 

“I thought I looked ridiculous always.” Parv pointed out

 

Strife gave him a look, “You do.”

 

“Cute ridiculous or bad ridiculous?” He continued.

 

This time Strife raised his eyebrows and put his hands on the counter, “You’d think I’d tell you if you looked cute?”

 

Parv looked almost offended, “I’d tell you if you looked cute.”

 

“Am I?” Strife looked amused.

 

He didn’t have a reply, but apparently Strife wasn’t looking for one. He was focused on the hat Parv was wearing.

 

“If you’re gonna wear this hat,” Strife said, reaching out to flick the small white ball to the back of the hat from where it rested at the front, “Wear it properly.”

 

Parv grinned as the other pulled his hand away, “So you like playing with my balls, huh?”

 

Strife choked on the coffee he had just taken a sip of. Parv laughed.

 

They talked for the next little while, only two people wandering in and being visibly surprised when Strife offered to help them. They would look at both him and Parv in confusion before exiting the store. Of course, Strife complained about this as well, saying that he was always nice.

 

And as they talked, Parv tried thinking. So he definitely did have a crush, but he couldn’t express it without Strife noticing - this was not what he wanted - he wanted to change Strife’s attitude towards christmas, which he did, not fall in love, which he was also kind of doing. It was a mess.

 

So, to get his mind off it, Parv suggested they watch a movie. Strife was skeptical at first, no doubt. But what if someone comes in? No Parv, that’s unprofessional. Movies are for children. There aren’t any DVD’s here. Blah, blah, blah. Luckily, he had came prepared. He took A Christmas Carol out of his waistband.

 

It took some convincing, but eventually they both ended up sitting pnn a cough in the back room. There was boxes of junk everywhere, but in the corner was the small lounge of a TV resting on another box, a small wooden table, a couch and a counter with a microwave closest to the wall.

 

Parv had watched the movie a million times, and he could tell by the look on Strife’s face, it was his first time. He immediately started ranting about How could you have possibly never seen this before?? and You’re gonna love this movie I swear to god. Doing so, they missed the first five minutes of narrative.

 

They watched as Scrooge made his way through town, being nasty to everyone and being irritated by all things christmas - which Parv was quick to say hey thats you! - until the first night, where he was visited by the ghost of Christmas past. The ghost talked about Scrooge’s life growing up and past christmas’.

 

Parv wondered if Strife saw himself in the character - he couldn’t tell because Strife was hard to read while he stared at the screen. He didn’t seem bored or uninterested yet, so that was a plus. The movie went on to have the ghost explain how Scrooge's past choices affected both his present and future.

 

Unconvinced, Scrooge went about daily life the next day, but when he went to sleep again, he saw the ghost of christmas future. Parv liked this part the most - the main character gets to see what his bleak and lonely future looked like and then starts to change his attitude. Scrooge listens, and most importantly, Strife listens.

 

While the ghost explains that he’ll be lonely forever because he keeps pushing people away, Parv looked over at Strife again. There was a strange expression on his face that Parv couldn’t quite pinpoint. It looked almost like understanding, yet mixed with disbelief. His eyes were only slightly narrowed at the screen and it almost made Parv laugh, but he didn’t. 

 

He turns his attention back to the screen. Again, Scrooge wakes up, but this time he’s slightly changed by the events he saw, there’s inner monologue, muttering to himself about how he must be going crazy. He goes out to town and watched everyone, watched how people ignore him or even looked afraid of him.

 

Parv yawned. There was only one more part until the movie ended, but he was warm and comfortable enough to close his eyes. He watched as the next night, Scrooge went to sleep expecting another ghost. The ghost of christmas future appeared, but that was right at the moment that Parv felt his eyes closing.

 

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he awoke with his head resting on Strife’s shoulder. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he focused on the screen which showed the credits just starting to roll. He missed the last bit, which meant he didn’t get to see Strife’s reaction. The other probably just pulled out a phone or something. He made a noise of protest.

 

“Good, you’re awake.” He heard strife say, “You snore so loudly.”

 

“I do not..” He mumbled, deciding if he should close his eyes again.

 

“You sound like a bear.”

 

Parv scrunched his nose, “No I don’t, I sleep like a baby.”

 

He heard Strife laugh, “Like a baby with a sinus congestion.” 

 

“Whatever mom, I’m going back to sleep.” He mumbled.

 

“How long do you plan on using my shoulder for a pillow?” 

 

Parv opened his eyes suddenly, realising he was still resting his head on Strife’s shoulder so he sat up quickly, flustered. His cheeks were flushed and eyes were still slightly dazed from just waking up, but Strife looked over at him with an amused expression.

 

“How could you have fallen asleep? I thought you said you liked that movie.”

 

“I do!” Parv protested, noticing he was angled towards Strife. He must have attempted to cuddle in his sleep. Shit. 

 

Strife noticed it too, “You seemed more preoccupied with trying to make me a teddy bear than anything.”

 

Parv’s cheeks went warm. He hoped the room was dark enough to hide the light shade of red they had gotten. It wasn’t.

 

“Look, now your cheeks match my clothes.” Strife taunted, “Is it cold in here too?”

 

Parv felt his face get warmer, “Well it’s - it’s your fault that you’re warm and kinda soft kinda teddy bear-” Fuck, that was absolutely not the right thing to say at all, because Strife noticed him getting even more flustered and smirked, “Um- the movie was calming and I was already tired and I had already seen it a million times.”

 

“Nice voice crack, Parvis.” Strife noticed, still smirking, “I see you’re finally going through puberty.”

 

“Listen, I-” He started, paused when he didn’t know what to say, “I uh-” He drew a blank, knowing he looked stupid and it just added to Strife’s amusement, “Did- Did you like the movie or not?”

 

“Like is such a strong word.” Strife muse as he scratched his chin, “But if you’re really trying to ask if I understood the moral of the movie and how you think it relates to me, the answer is yes.”

 

Parv attempted to gain ground back, “See, I knew you were a softie.”

 

“Parvis, which one of us is sitting here blushing so hard they look like a beet?”

 

He opened his mouth to say something, probably something stupid, but they heard the door open, followed by footsteps.

 

“Boooooooys, I’m home.” Jenny called, “Are you getting along back there?”

 

“Y-Yeah!” Parv called, taking that as his chance to stand up so fast he almost tripped over his feet, “We just finished!”

 

Man, did they have some stuff to talk about.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

Christmas day. It was here, it was time. He was excited. So excited that he woke up at six AM, feeling like a little kid. Still laying in bed, he looked over to his window to see that there was fresh snow falling. Perfect. Now everything was proper. Parv sprung out of bed to make himself some food, sending everyone merry christmas messages as he did so. 

 

It was tradition to make cookies, so he made some. Alot. Several batches. It was probably illegal somewhere how many cookies he made. He ate more than he would like to admit, then put the rest on a plate to give to the family. That’s where he went next, fully dressed in PJ’s, a santa hat and a huge smile.

 

The group get together was consisted on family and friends, all holding food or presents or cards, everyone wishing seasons greetings. He arrived, greeted everyone, he laughed, he played with the kids, they ate brunch and unwrapped gifts. He had two for everyone - he went overboard when it came to Christmas shopping.

 

He replaced his PJ shirt with a red and green sweater decorated with santa and his reindeer made by his grandma. But late afternoon, the party started to disperse. People had places to be, people to see. So did Parv. He thanked everyone and wished them a Merry christmas before heading straight over to Strife Solutions. 

 

Of course, the sign read open. It was almost enough to put down his mood. He opened the door with one hand, a box tucked under his other arm and stepped into the store. The familiar bell hanging from it rang a few times, but then faded as the door settled shut. Parv sighed happily at the warmth.

 

He walked over to Strife’s open office door and peeked inside. It wasn’t as generic as he thought it would be - there was bookshelves pushed against the wall and charts hanging from them, but there was a plant in the corner, a calendar hanging right night to the clock with some pictures posted around them.

 

In the center of the room, the simple brown desk covered in near stacks of paper and a laptop sitting idle sat Strife, whose’ face was buried in his arms, sleeping. It was sad to see. He should be at home, not here. But Parv shocked on the doorframe and the other stirred. He looked up, blinking a few times and Parv smiled.

 

“This isn’t very productive of you.”

 

He frowned, still blinking the sleep from his eyes, “Parv?”

 

“The one and only.”

 

Strife sat up running his hands down his face before looking at the clock. It was only five PM, though Parv wished he could have came sooner. He cleared his throat and squinted at Parv again as if to make sure he was still there.

 

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating christmas somewhere?”

 

“I just finished.” Parv told him, stepping into the office, “So I thought I’d pop on in here, knowing you could use the company. No one likes being alone on Christmas.”

 

At the last sentence, Strife glanced away with a faraway look in his eyes. Usually, Parv would have just ignored it because it was a thing the other did a lot. But then he thought about his own words and finally understood. Oh. Oh.

 

“C’mon out of your office, sleepyhead.” He attempted to smile, but the sudden realisation was enough to depress him, “There’s more room out here.”

 

Strife got up from his chair, running a hand through his hair. Parv tried to get some of his energy back, but he ended up grinning when he saw the santa figurine sitting on the counter. Neither he nor Jenny put that there. He decided not to bring it up, but he knew Strife saw him notice it. 

 

“So it finally decided to snow, huh?” Strife noticed as he emerged from his office, staring out the open blinds. 

 

“Yup!” Parv beamed at the reminder, “I built three snowmen today and a fort so good the French would be jealous.”

 

Strife stared at him, “The French beat the British several times if I recall events correctly.”

 

“Shut up, you’re an American.”

 

He whistled, “It’s that attitude that got your tea dumped in the harbour.”

 

“Yeah, but if you had just taken the tea you could have avoided a revolution.” Parv scoffed like he was personally offended.

 

“Tea is disgusting anyway.” 

 

“You take that back!”

 

They pointlessly bickered for a few more minutes, the mood lifting so they both were smiling by the end of it. Parv’s good mood and energy was back soon enough, and he started to remember why he came. He set the box down on the counter but kept the plate of cookies in his hand. They were fresh enough, so with a smile, he held them out.

 

Strife examined them first as if he thought Parv poisoned them. He was skeptical. What’s wrong with them? You can cook? What’d you do to them? After he was assured there was nothing wrong with them because Parv was a self-proclaimed five star chef, he took a few and ate them as they continued talking.

 

Parv talked about what he did before coming here; how his family was as energetic as he was which Strife didn’t find hard to believe, how one of his friends dropped the entire turkey on the ground but was saved by a crazy relative who had a cooked one in her car for backup situations. He talked about how he ran face first into a pole.

 

He talked and talked, but also noticed Strife get quieter. His thought must have been right and he really wanted to talk about it. When they sat in silence after the conversation, Parv mulled it over in his mind, how he wanted it to go. He licked his lips, no knowing how to start because as he figured out at the cafe, it was a sensitive subject.

 

“Hey Will?” He asked.

 

“Hm?” 

 

Parv paused for a moment, “How many Christmas’ have you spent alone?”

 

He must have been expecting the question, because he didn’t react the way Parv thought he would. He just exhaled and met his eyes.

 

“I can’t remember a christmas that I wasn’t alone.”

 

Parv went wide eyed, “But.. it couldn’t have been all bad..”

 

Strife shook his head, “I never had anyone around. My family was always distant and my folks thought they had somewhere better to be.” He shrugged, “I thought it was my fault, so I got used to it.” His eyes flickered to the floor again - he clearly didn’t like being sappy like this, “I grew up bitter that people had something I didn’t.”

 

He wasn’t great at cheering people up, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind.

 

“Well you don’t have to be alone anymore, little ol’ Parvy is here.” He smiled brightly when Strife looked back up at him, “As long as I’m around, you’ll have someone to spend Christmas with.”

 

Strife snorted back a laugh, “As long as you’re around, there’s not a day that you’re not here.”

 

Parv grinned, “Exactly. We’ll be best friends.”

 

“Only if I don’t have to sacrifice to Satan on saturdays.” He countered, thinking of their old conversation.

 

“No promises.”

 

Strife smiled. It was one of those few, almost rare times that he gave Parv a friendly and genuine smile. He had only recently traded the eyeroll or scowl for the smile, but whenever he did, it made Parv’s heart skip a beat. Not in the cheesy sense, but the fact that it was so unexpected that it shocked him. Yeah, that’s it. 

 

Parv found himself smiling back. He stared at Strife for those few extra seconds, focused on the others eyes. Several times he wanted to blurt out hey so you have really nice eyes but that might have sounded pretty weird. He liked them because they were a bright green when his were only a crap coloured brown.

 

He looked away first, and pushed himself away from the counter. He hoped he wasn’t blushing again. He didn’t need a repeat of yesterday. Even as he turned to grab the wrapped box off the counter, he felt Strife’s eyes on him. Before he did anything stupid, Parv tuned and held out the thin box to the other with a big smile.

 

“What’s this?” Strife questioned.

 

“It’s a present, silly.” Parv replied, “It’s for you.”

 

Strife looked at the gift, and then at Parv. He looked almost confused, but he hesitantly look it from Parv’s hands, their hands brushing against each other momentarily. He went back to leaning against the counter as Strife walked over and set it down to open it. He commented on the neat wrapping, to which Parv nodded.

 

He carefully unwrapped it to reveal a snowflake design covering the top of the cardboard box. Parv bit his lip to hold back his grin when Strife looked over at him. He was trying hard not to burst into giggles at the thought of what was inside, and the other noticed. He started to slowly take the paper from the box, as if it housed a live animal.

 

At the bottom of the box, Strife pulled out a sweater. He held it up and examined it - it was very similar to the ones Parv always wore. It was red with black silhouettes of a bunch of people holding hands around a christmas tree. It was something only Parv or old people would wear, but he chuckled.

 

“Do you like it?” Parv asked, thinking that Strife was going to throw it in his face.

 

“It’s very you but it’s got my colours.” Strife noticed.

 

Parv almost cut his lip he was biting it so hard. The smile was clearly visible, “Well? Are you gonna wear it?”

 

To his surprise and utter shock, Strife rolled his eyes and turned it over before putting it over his head to pull it on. Parv stared as he poked his head through the top and his arms found their proper places - it fit him perfectly, but he tried adjusting it. Strife was definitely not a sweater person, but he looked good.

 

Strife looked over to see him staring and smiling. He held his arms out, “How do I look?”

 

“You look ridiculous.” He grinned.

 

“Cute ridiculous or bad ridiculous?” Strife mimicked the first time Parv asked it.

 

I’d tell you if you looked cute. Parv remembered saying. And he did. 

 

“Cute.” He said.

 

Strife’s cheeks tinged a faint red. It was a christmas miracle.

 

“Y’know what..” He mused. He seemed to be thinking about something. Parv wondered what it could possibly be, but Will’s eyes turned to him, “Wait here.”

 

Parv did. He watched as Strife walked away from the counter and headed for the back room. There was shifting and banging and scuffling - he was tempted to go see what was going on, but after a minute or so, Strife re-emerged, hunched over as he dragged a long box back towards the counter.

 

Parv frowned, but was curious. Strife set the box down and a huff and blew the thick layer of dust off of it, before working on ripping the tape off of the seal. When he finally opened the flaps, Parv grinned, his heart actually stopped for a second. Sitting inside, was an old, but obviously unused, christmas tree.

 

“Care to help me set it up?” Strife asked, looking over to Parv who was beaming. 

 

And he did. He eagerly grabbed it out of the box and started pulling branches into place. He plucked the instructions from Strife’s hands and crumpled them up, claiming they they wouldn't be needing them. While Strife set the bottom on the floor, Parv pulled the other three sections out of the box and put them into place.

 

They bickered as they straightened the tree out and pulled the branches into their proper places. Parv insisted that real trees were better and they smelled nice, but strife argued against it saying how they made a huge mess and were tedious to get rid of. When it was all said and done, they started on the decorations that sat in the box.

 

They were plain and simple, not as flashy as Parv liked, but he wasn’t going to complain at this point. He started throwing tinsel at both the tree and Strife, who was trying to put the bulbs on. He threw a plastic ornament but Parv dodged it with a laugh, but was quickly struck in the forehead with one, which made Strife laugh. 

 

While he continued, Parv hummed as he put a the bow from the present in Strife’s hair. He didn’t complain, much to Parv’s delight. After he was done with that, he continued decorating the tree with random things from around the store. The tree looked pretty, but it also looked ridiculous. They both stepped back to admire their work.

 

Parv walked over to the box and pulled out a star. He wiped the dust off it and then handed it to Strife, insisting he do the honors. He took it and approached the tree with it. He was tall enough that he didn’t have to go on his tiptoes - Parv watched, wondering if this was the first time he had ever done this before.

 

When he stepped back to look, Parv slung an arm around his shoulder with a proud smile. He felt so proud. It really was a christmas miracle. If he could go back in time to the first of december and tell Strife what he would do in twenty five days. he’d probably just laugh and kick him out. 

“Thank you.” Strife said quietly.

 

“For what?” Parv asked, confused.

 

Strife was silent for a moment, “For being here.”

 

Parv felt his heart swell. It was the nicest thing he had ever heard and knowing why he was being thanked made it almost explode. He had planned on making Strife appreciate christmas, but he had done so much more. He smiled. It was around the same time the door opened and Jenny stepped through.

 

She had been mid-slip of her coffee, but when she saw the sight in front of her, she choked on the drink and liquid went everywhere. She started coughing, coffee dripping down her chin as Parv laughed. 

 

“Am I.. am I in the right store?” She asked, wide eyed as she looked around. She looked at the tree for a few seconds, then at Parv, then stared at her boss.

 

“Christmas spirit.” He simply said.

 

Still wide eyed, she looked at Parv. Her expression read How?

 

“I told you he’d fall for my charms eventually.” He grinned, arm still around Strife.

 

Strife snorted.

 

“If that’s the case, I’ve got a present.” She smiled, clearly excited, “I was gonna give it to you earlier to use at the right time, but right now seems pretty right to me..”

 

She walked over as she pulled out a small bundle of mistletoe by the red ribbon. Parv eyed it and then gave Strife a smug smile, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

Strife smiled as well, but rolled his eyes.

 

It was the best kiss Parv ever had.


	2. Valentines Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by http://d-d-d-drop-the-toast.tumblr.com/

Will Strife wasn’t typically an awkward guy.

 

He always knew what he was doing, always had a plan of action and was prepared for anything thrown his way, he liked being in control of a situation and hated being caught off guard. It’s how he stayed professional and could make others know that he was professional. When you didn’t know what you were doing, you wouldn’t be taken seriously.

 

He supposed thats why he wasn’t close to anyone. He had a strict way of doing things, he was always involved in his work with little or no time for anyone else and didn’t see the point in free time when there was always work to be done. He assumed in order to be successful, to be respected, you had to work independently

 

At least that’s what he liked to think. He thought everything he did was perfectly reasonable. rational and smart. Anyone who thought differently simply didn’t have the same mindset - they weren’t inferior, he was just accomplished. He had met a few individuals in his time that thought similar, but he didn’t like them much. Yet he never questioned himself and how he lived.

 

And then he met Alex Parvis. 

 

The man with more enthusiasm for everything than any human had a right to, and in the beginning it annoyed Strife to no end. Especially his love for christmas and how he latched onto the fact the other hated christmas and came back every day while attempting to sneak decorations into his store. It was enough to drive him insane.

 

He had nearly banned Parv from his store on several occasions, but concluded in the long run it wasn’t very professional and a tiny but immature. Parv wanted to come in every day and spread christmas cheer? Fine. He could ride it out. And after a month, the christmas season would be over and he’d never have to see the other again. So he originally hoped. 

 

But as the month progressed, he felt himself loosening up. Christmas spirit, Parv would claim. He started to ignore the little things that would usually send him into a frenzy; the small bells, glass snowmen, rubber snowflakes that hung on the windows.. he pretended to ignore the songs both he and Jenny would sing or play on the radio.

 

He didn’t even say anything when Jenny broke a long time rule and showed up wearing a santa hat. Strife hadn’t thought much of the date he and Parv went on. He wasn’t even aware it was a date until Jenny asked How went the date, boys? when they got back. He pretended not to notice Parv’s cheeks tinge pink at the question.

 

He didn’t outwardly deny it but instead shrugged it off, because it had been a date, right? Having been on several dates in the past, (that admittedly didn’t go so smoothly) he knew what dates consisted of and the little coffee shop adventure had all the elements to one. When he arrived at work, he hadn’t understood why Parv looked so shaken. It occurred to him later.

 

However, it wasn’t until christmas eve during their little movie session, which could arguably be considered a date too, Strife put two and two together that Parv, for inexplicable reason, had a crush on him. He had figured out out while they watched the movie, sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch, thinking about their relationship.

 

Christmas day is what stuck out in his mind the most. Strife tried not to think about the kiss too much because it made him seem like a lovestruck teenager and he was neither. He hadn’t really been thinking when Jenny put the mistletoe above them; she probably did it as a joke, thinking Strife would just roll his eyes and walk away. Parv probably thought the same thing.

 

He must have been pretty surprised when Strife reached out slowly. fingers brushing across his cheek before gently pulling him forward by the nape of his neck to put their lips together in a brief kiss. Alright, it had been drawn out a few more seconds than intended because apparently kissing Parv has unexpectedly been really nice. 

 

Strife supposed it was instinct that made him smirk into it when he felt the heat coming off Parv’s cheeks, or when Parv let out a surprised squeak at the contact, or when he relaxed and reached up to grab a fistful of Strife’s shirt as if he was going to fall over. Parv knew how to kiss, that much was obvious, so his lips had been warm and inviting. Tongues almost got involved when he remembered Jenny was still there.

 

He remembered both pairs of eyes turning to her after they pulled away - she had withdrew the mistletoe already and been smirking like that had been her master plan all along, then complained about the lack of pictures taken. Afterwards, she proceeded to hold the mistletoe above her head and wiggle her eyebrows at Parv who rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. 

 

He recalled an unfamiliar feeling shooting through him, that he would always deny was jealously. 

 

Then January came by and Parv didn’t come around every day like in december, claiming he had his own job to worry about but he never said what it was. On the days he didn’t come by, Strife would sometimes voice this to Jenny who kept him company, but she would always tease him that he missed Parv. Which wasn’t true. of course. 

 

Nothing between them was established, the relationship was unclear which Strife hated. He disliked not knowing where he stood with someone, especially someone like Parv. Once you thought you knew the guy, he would completely change attitudes. It wasn’t tense, there was no awkward tension, but there was definitely something. 

 

In his experience, both parties talked about the present relationship and what they wanted to make of it. He couldn’t do that with Parv, it was too complicated. They didn’t do things couples did - no hugging, no hand holding, no outright flirting although he noticed Parv did his damned hardest to be subtle about his compliments, or anymore kissing.

 

Yet sometimes he found himself staring with a faint smile at Parv while the other was talking about something that he found exciting - he moved his whole body when he talked, used hand gestures, looked around to make sure people were listening, talked too fast he interrupted himself and sometimes he even bounced on the spot. 

 

Sometimes he caught Parv staring at him while he was talking to Jenny, or doing his own thing, or just standing in silence. Usually whenever he caught Parv’s eyes, the other would look away but other times they would hold each others gaze until Jenny did something to get their attention. Other times Parv would scoot so close their shoulders touched.

 

If they ever decided to sit in the back room and watch an episode of a TV show Parv brought over - on the times he’d let the other convince him to take a break - they’d somehow end up sitting close again, Parv’s head resting on his shoulder most of the time but Strife almost always let it fly, because why not?

 

He wasn’t romantic. He was never in any situations before this that required him to be romantic. Strife sensed Parv was a person who liked cheesy romantic things, and Strife hated cheesy stuff. They were dumb and stupid and sometimes painful. Like puns. Puns were the worst, especially the ones Parv made. Maybe it was best to avoid romance. 

 

It wasn't until the last few days of January that Parv started showing up every day before him again, which Strife found odd. At first, he assumed that maybe the other had some days off from whatever job he had but then he and Jenny started talking and giggling in his general direction whenever he entered the store in the afternoon - Strife immediately grew suspicious, knowing they were up to something.

 

He tried not to think much of it for the first few days of the new month because it proved worthless to simply ask what're you two up to? He didn't complain much because a part of him just enjoyed having Parv around, not that he would ever admit it, and it would be no use to tell him to get out even after he started trying to decorate the store again. Parv claimed he was trying to make it more 'homely'. 

 

"Strife? Earth to Strife?" the voice shattered his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. He blinked a few times then looked at Parv who was staring at him with a slightly tilted head and amused smile on his face. He must had zoned out while staring at him.

 

"What?" He snapped, not meaning to sound so forceful. Parv didn't seem to notice.

 

Parv's smile turned to a smirk as he glanced over at Jenny, who was sitting on the counter watching the scene unfold. She laughed and simply rolled her eyes, mumbling something about Strife being in dreamland. Strife narrowed his eyes at her before turning his eyes back over to Parv who looked ready to bounce on the spot.

 

"What were you thinking about just now?" He mused, eyes flashing with curiosity, "You were staring at me, so I assume you were telling yourself how hot I am."

 

"In your dreams, Parvis." He retorted, then cleared his throat, "And I wasn't staring at you."

 

"Oh, you were staring at him alright." Jenny piped in, "He got you there."

 

Strife turned to look at her, "I'll fire you."

 

"Big threats from lover boy." She smirked. Strife opened his mouth to say something but she continued, "Besides if you fired me, who knows what you two will get up to without proper supervision."

 

Strife knit his eyebrows together in confusion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

Jenny sighed loudly and flashed Parv a look that read are you kidding me? but Strife still didn't understand. Parv laughed and walked over to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

 

"Don't worry about it, bossman." He said, mischief in his voice, "I'm sure we can still find ways to fool around even with Jenny here."

 

"Parv!" She exclaimed but they both started laughing. Something clicked in Strife as he understood what they were talking about so he just huffed and pushed Parv away which just made the other two laugh harder.

 

"I'm going to my office." He mumbled.

 

As soon as he took a few steps away, he was stopped.

 

"Will, wait -" Parv called out, so he turned around.

 

"Yes?"

Strife watched as Parv looked over at Jenny nervously who gave him a thumbs up. He raised his eyebrows at Parv, patiently waiting. Parv just glanced over at him and raked his fingers through his hair before speaking up.

 

"Uh.." He started, suddenly looking flustered, "You got any plans next weekend?"

 

Strife narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why he found that suspicious, but what was so special about next weekend? 

 

"Sure, I'll be working, same as always." 

 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jenny give Parv an i told you so expression. Parv didn't have a response, so Strife just shrugged it off and turned back around to go to his office. Just before he closed the door behind him, he heard the other mumble something to Jenny who giggled in response. 

___________________________________________________________

Strife didn't like crowds. He told himself this for the tenth time as he walked down the sidewalk the next morning. It was tuesday morning and people would be heading to work, but there was a lot of teenagers and elderly walking around, mostly couples. He tried not to pay attention to them; he had an intense dislike for people who showed their affection in public.

 

He didn't need to walk past a bench and see two teens attached at the hip, making out. You didn't need to do that in public, keep it inside. Strife didn't consider himself bitter, it was just reasonable thinking. Judging from the looks of a handful of other people looking around, they thought the same thing.

 

He was glad to finally reach his store, and tried not to allow himself to be disappointed to find Parv wasn't there. Instead, Jenny was standing behind the counter talking to another boy who was leaning on the counter. They were laughing - she looked up and waved at Strife as he entered who just nodded.

 

"..So, what'dya think?" The boy asked, he hadn't turned to look at Strife.

 

Jenny smiled warmly, "I think you're sweet."

 

Strife approached his office, but looked over at them both. The boy had shaggy brown hair that he frequently brushed from his eyes, a few days worth of beard on his face and slightly tanned skin. He wore long sleeved black shirt with the logo of some video game on it, grey jeans and dirty sneakers. 

 

"Aw, so are you." He cooed, voice sporting the faintest of accents though Strife couldn't quite place it, "I'd say you're like a flower, but I don't think a pretty enough flower exists."

 

Ugh, more of this. Strife disappeared into his office as he heard Jenny giggle at the worst pickup line Strife had ever heard. He took off his jacket and put it on the coat hanger after setting his briefcase down on the desk. After deciding he didn't need anything else from the room, he exited and closed the door behind him.

 

"TJ, you are really something else." Jenny sighed as she brushed hair from her face, "I'm glad you stopped by."

 

"Just wanted to see your face again." TJ replied with a grin that made Jenny smile.

 

Strife fought back the urge to huff and clear his throat. This guy was being terribly blunt with his flirting and it was awful. He could break this up and kick the kid out of the store, but he wouldn't have a very good reason. He had probably used up all his he was getting on my nerves cards on Parv last december.

 

He suddenly wished Parv was here so he didn't have to hear all this. Parv would surely provide side commentary and make this whole ordeal more bearable. But unfortunately he wasn't so Strife grabbed a stack of papers from the counter - TJ still seemed to ignore his presence which was annoying.

 

"I'll have to think about it." Jenny told him, "It's still a while away."

 

"Take all the time you need, love." He smiled, "I'm willing to wait for you."

God. Strife almost snorted out a laugh. He glanced over to Jenny whose lips twitched, as if she wanted to laugh as well but she kept her composure.

 

"You've got my number," She reminded him, "You'll be the first to know."

 

TJ beamed at that answer, "I'll be looking forward to it, Jen." At that, Strife looked over at her to see what her reaction was. He knew from experience that she hated being called Jen or Jennifer, but she just kept smiling, "It was nice to catch up with you."

 

He reached out and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss it. What was this, the 17th century? He tried not to grumble as she laughed and nodded at him. They both said their goodbyes and Strife stared after him as he exited the store. He was only broken from the trance when he heard Jenny exhale loudly.

 

Strife looked over to see her already looking at him. His lips twitched in a smirk and his expression was of disbelief. Jenny simply rolled his eyes.

 

"Sorry you had to walk in on that." She apologised, "I didn't expect to see him. I thought he was still in Australia."

 

He raised his eyebrows, "How would you know someone from the other side of the world?"

 

"I was an exchange student in grade 11." She explained, running a hand through her hair, "As soon as I got there he befriended me, showed me around even though he had only actually lived there for three years." That explained the faint accent, "The day before I had to leave, he confessed he had a crush on me and wanted me to stay."

 

"Dramatic." Strife said.

 

She sighed, "I know. Of course I couldn't stay, but he promised to keep in touch, but with no way to contact me, that didn't work." She laughed at herself, probably embarrassed.

 

Strife shuffled the stack of papers, "So why'd he come here today?"

 

"He asked me to go on a date with him next week." Jenny told him, "Which really puts a halt on my plans to spend valentines day at home, in the dark, watching movies and eating food."

 

Strife blinked, suddenly phasing out. Jenny said something else, but he wasn't really paying attention - next week, it was Valentine's day? He wouldn't have known any other way because that's another holiday he didn't care about nor have any reason to celebrate. It was a good way to go broke, buying candy, expensive dinner, cheesy gifts.. ugh.

 

Then another thought hit him in the face like a brick. Is that why Parv asked him if he had any plans next week? He wondered what the odds were the other had just been talking about the week and not the weekend. Valentine's day. But he figured that's exactly what Parv had been talking about and he had no idea. He frowned. Why would Parv want to spend it with him?

 

Is that what they were laughing about the other day? Strife nearly grumbled out loud. He was always one step behind these two. Strife wasn't even sure if wanted to go anywhere on saturday because of the lovey-dovey romance crap he'd see everywhere. More teens making out and trying to get in each others pants. No thanks.

 

"Are you even listening to me?" Jenny's voice cut through his thoughts.

 

Strife was still staring at the window across the room, "Are you trying to tell me Parvis was trying to ask me out for Valentines day?" 

 

He blinked only when Jenny banged her hand on the counter.

 

"Damnit, you figured it out sooner than I thought." She half yelled, and narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, "Now I owe him five dollars." 

 

"Were you two scheming?" He narrowed his eyes at her too, until they were glaring at each other.

 

Jenny looked away first, her angry expression breaking apart as she started laughing. She covered her mouth with her hand but the giggles kept coming; when Strife only narrowed his eyes further, she started wheezing and walked over to grab a kleenex to blow her nose. He wanted to protest that it wasn't that funny, but more giggles escaped her.

 

"You're possibly the dumbest man on earth." She breathed, ignoring the look he gave her, "Yes, that's what he tried to ask. But it's impossible to do when you're so stubborn and hard headed."

 

Strife didn't know how to respond. He had no idea what to do, which is something he disliked very much. Part of who he was, was being in control of the situation and knowing what to say or do. He almost felt like he was backed into a corner because there was no backing out of this now. Parv liked him. This wasn't something he could just talk himself out of.

 

"Why didn't you say something?"

 

"Because I know who you are," She said, "Something like this usually flies right over your head, so I didn't want to get Parv's hopes up."

 

Strife ran a hand through his hair, irritated. Not at Jenny, or Parv, or even himself. Just in general, he hated feeling like this. It was true though. He could go through an entire year without acknowledging a holiday or any other important days. Last year he hadn't known his birthday had passed until he got a card in the mail days later. It's just how he worked.

 

But then people like Parv showed up for the big holidays, reminding him over and over again of what he had to deal with. One thing was for sure; he was in too deep to just start ignoring everything again. He had to come up with a plan - but valentines day? Out of all holidays this was the one he had to do something for? He was going to need assistance, and a lot of it.

 

He turned to Jenny, "I need your help."

 

She beamed, lips forming into a grin, "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."

 

Strife huffed. He was about to go off on her, but to make matters worse the door opened and Parv stepped through, eyes immediately zeroing in on Strife. The other grinned and he felt his chest tighten - he wasn't quite sure what emotion would do that, but he decided that he hated it. He turned his gaze back to Jenny.

 

"I need your help with this." He nearly hissed, keeping his voice low enough for only her to hear.

 

The grin threatened to split her face open, "You have no idea how much I've always wanted to hear you say that."

 

"Say what?" Parv asked, finally arriving at the counter, "Did Will admit how awesome I am?"

 

"In your dreams." Strife muttered but they both ignored him.

 

Jenny smiled at Parv, then looked back over at Strife, "You got it bossman."

 

Parv threw them both a questioning look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"You'll find out soon enough." She winked at him, and just like the the conversation was over.

_____________________________________________________________

 

Working with a girl could be difficult. Especially with Jenny. One day you think she’d forgotten about something and the next she’s cornered you and started interrogating you, knowing you were totally unprepared. It was like that the next day. Strife walked into the store and immediately Jenny appeared in front of him, asking what he had in mind.

 

She wasn’t very impressed to find out he knew next to nothing about the holiday or even how to start preparing. Strife was dragged over to the counter and was forced to listen to her explain the concept was; apparently it was everything he feared. Going out in public with a date and being affectionate. And you had to show others this. Ugh.

 

He suggested staying indoors and just watching movies, which Parv seemed to love, but Jenny just stared at him as if it were the worst idea she had ever heard. No! She had exclaimed, That’s not romantic! At that, Strife rolled his eyes and replied with a Well, I’M not romantic. Jenny smacked him on the arm. Not yet, you aren’t.

 

And then he suggested taking Parv to a mcdonalds or something, the guy was probably a huge fan of fast food, but Jenny looked like she might actually faint at that. She brought up the That’s not romantic, Strife! argument, then mentioned how he was going to actually have to spend money on Parv. This day could not get any worse.

 

She sat him down and began the lecture; the told him about how he should act first and foremost. Strife wasn’t even sure what it was he felt towards Parv, but he was sure it wasn’t love as Jenny seemed to think. Apparently he was supposed to play nice, compliment Parv, just like that one time last year.

 

He get’s totally flustered when you say something nice to him, She explained. It’s pretty cute. Strife noticed this too, but he ignored her when she nudged him and asked if he agreed. Leading up to the 14th, he had to be nice. Strife supposed he could manage that much. It hadn’t been hard recently; it became increasingly difficult to be mad at Parv.

 

Jenny quizzed him on the topic. He got most of it wrong. She started asking trivia questions about Parv, which both of them were surprised to know Strife did pretty okay in. Good, she had said, you can’t go on a date knowing nothing about the other. What’s his first name? Favourite movie? Favourite holiday? Not really date conversations. 

 

Halfway through the lecture, Parv entered the shop. Jenny had shut up almost immediately and entered her usually, giddy, enthusiastic persona as she greeted him. They talked for a few moments as Strife went over everything he had just been told in his mind - it was a lot to think about, that’s for sure.

 

“Heya, Will.” Parv greeted him with a smile, “What’cha up to?”

 

Strife stared at him for a moment, then flickered his eyes over to Jenny who was standing behind parv and making gestures, waving her hands around , signaling for the the two of them to go somewhere. He squinted slightly as she made a sleeping motion. She grinned at his confusion and turned her left hand into a fist and inserted her right finger inside.

 

He widened his eyes, fighting back the urge to yell at her. Parv seemed to notice so he turned around just as Jenny quickly lowered her hands and smiled sweetly at him. In turn, Strife did a cut throat motion and pointed at her but Jenny just rolled her eyes. She started giggling as Parv looked back at Strife.

 

“Y’know, what Parv,” Strife started before he could ask questions, “Uh, I was just about to go on break,” He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the back room, “Care to join me?”

 

Parv grinned at him, “Absolutely. Oh! And there’s this really cool movie on right now, let’s just see if you have the channel..” He started, walking towards the back room.

 

Strife glanced back over to Jenny who wiggled her eyebrows and did the same gesture with her hands, as if to be suggestive. You’re fired, he mouthed, but she just waved him off as he turned around to follow Parv who had already vanished into the back room and was fiddling with the TV.

 

As he entered the room, he glanced over to see the Christmas tree stuffed next to stacks of boxes, all of them too lazy to take it down. He walked over and sat himself down on the couch just as Parv managed to turn on the TV. He eagerly grabbed the remote and sat himself down too.

 

At first, they were sitting so close their shoulders were touching, but after Strife flashed him a look, Parv scooted over half an inch, probably thinking that was good enough. He began talking about the movie he wanted to catch the end of, trying to convince Strife that he’d really really like it. 

 

The other finally found the movie he had been talking about but Strife immediately knew he wouldn’t have an interest in it, but he pretended to pay attention for Parv’s sake. He had to play nice, and if that meant hanging out with him, so be it. Thankfully, Parv talked over it for the next ten minutes about everything that was going on, just in case Strife couldn’t figure it out.

 

When Parv finally decided to shut up and focus on the screen, Strife leaned his head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, listening to the dialog and the other’s side comments about certain parts, before letting out a sigh and stretching his arms out.

 

He let them rest along the back of the couch, trying to get comfortable but also trying to make himself not fall asleep like he felt he was going to. That being said, he tried not to listen to his breathing like he usually did when he wanted to sleep. After a few moments, he felt Parv shift beside him and sigh.

 

He sat like that for another minute or so until he felt the couch move beside him as Parv got more comfortable, and a second later there was a head resting on the inside of his shoulder. Strife opened his eyes and glanced to where Parv was now leaning on him, but decided not to say anything. 

 

Strife blamed it on the fatigue for not pushing the other off him. But he didn’t mind it much, he just hoped Jenny didn’t walk in right this moment. He heard Parv sigh after a minute, realising he wasn’t going to be pushed away, and it made Strife wonder if this was something he - and possibly Jenny - had planned.

 

What those two talked about and plotted was beyond him. Yet, she was helping out the both of them. Sure, she always tried to set him up with every single female who approached him, but Jenny was taking a different approach with Parv. Maybe it was because he was a guy. Maybe it was because he and Jenny were friends. He supposed he’d never know.

 

Whatever the reason, she was bugging him more than usual. And the Tease Jenny about having a mini crush on Strife back when she had first been hired card had long since expired, which was rather unfortunate. Jenny had become accustomed to his ways, and it was bothersome especially in times like these.

 

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Parv’s breathing pattern change. He was asleep? They had only been in here ten minutes! To make matters worse, his face was now nuzzled into Strife’s side, legs turned as if he had been trying to curl up into a ball. This was ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop the quiet chuckle that escaped his lips.

 

Now he really hoped Jenny wouldn’t walk in, but apparently his luck had just run out. The door opened and she entered, holding a piece of paper in her hand. Jenny looked focused but as soon as she glanced over and saw the scene in front of her, a huge grin took over her face.

 

“Don’t even start, or I’ll take away your raise.”

 

Her eyebrows shot up, “I got a raise?”

 

“Not if you don’t keep your mouth shut.” He countered.

 

Still grinning, Jenny made a motion like she was doing up a zipper over her mouth.

 

“Now, what did you want?”

 

Practically bouncing from the spot, she headed over to them, holding out the piece of paper that contained too many words for him to care at the moment. He took it from her hands, keeping the other draped along the couch, around Parv, and read it over as she put her hands behind her back and went back to grinning like a giddy child.

 

“Some guy in a tacky suit and stale smelling cologne came by,” Jenny informed him, “I told him you were out, doing important things.”

 

Strife skimmed over the paper, “Old, pudgy, kinda looks like Colonel mustard?”

 

“1985 Colonel Mustard?” She inquired.

 

“That’s the one.”

 

“I had no idea you watched Clue,” Jenny mused, a smile in her voice, “And here I thought you had no idea what a movie was until you met Parv, here..” He elected to ignore her on that one as he continued to read, “But yeah, him.”

 

Strife quickly finished reading the document and glanced back up to see Jenny still standing there, grinning.

 

“I didn’t know I paid you to stand around.”

 

“Well, I didn’t know I work for someone who sits around and watches movies with his boyfriend.” She retorts, tilting her head as her gaze flicks to Parv.

 

He frowns at her, “I’m your boss, I can do what I want.”

 

Her grin turns into a smirk and michif flooded through her eyes.

 

“What?” He asks.

 

“Well, I should point out that you didn’t deny that little Parvy here is your boyfriend.” She shifts her weight, putting her hands on her hips.

 

Suddenly, it’s warm in the room. And Strife feels the heat spreading to his face, but he pretends to ignore it even though he knows Jenny saw. Get it together, something like that shouldn’t phase you. 

 

“It shouldn’t have to be said.”

 

She regarded him for a moment, “What, the fact that he’s your boyfriend or?”

 

Strife was about to retort, but he felt Parv shift against him a little more, his breathing changing as he woke up. He had to stop himself from smirking - this was the second time now Parv had both fallen asleep and woken up resting on Strife.

 

“What’s with all the noise?” Parv asked, voice slurred from sleepiness, “What’re we talkin’ about?”

 

Strife turned his head, “I’m not your boyfriend.”

 

“Mmm, that’s unfortunate.” He murmured, face still half buried in Strife’s side.

 

Again, he felt his face go warm at the comment. Unbelieveable. He had to learn how to control himself. He was quick to glance over at Jenny, sure she was going to taunt him, but she was glancing at Parv.

 

“It sure is,” She sighed.

 

Strife stared at her, “Alright, you can leave now.”

 

“Are you sure?” She questioned, “You need anything before I go? Some snacks? A drink? A condom?”

 

Strife tossed the TV remote at her, but Jenny saw it coming before he even threw it and ducked out of the way with a giggle as it clattered to the ground, making Parv stir again. He picked up the volume remote as well, but she ran from the room, giggles following her out as she closed the door.

 

He was left alone with his thoughts and a half-asleep Parv still resting on him. Now could have been the ideal time to try to sleep, but it seemed Parv became fully awake as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He was almost pleased to see the others cheeks tinge red from embarrassment, just like last time.

 

Parv must have noticed the look in his eyes, because he smiled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry, you're warm."

 

"So you've said before." He couldn't help but rolling his eyes.

 

Parv's cheeks went a darker shade of red and for his sake, Strife pretended not to notice as he put the sheet of paper on the arm rest next to him.

 

"What's that?" Parv asked, clearly eager to change the subject.

 

"Just a business memo." He replied, "Speaking of, I should probably get back to work."

 

He started to get up, but Parv sat up before him.

 

"But you didn't even watch the movie!" He pouted.

 

Strife raised his eyebrows, "To be fair, neither did you."

 

"Then let's watch it together." Parv suggested, "Well, another one since this one is about to end in like, three minutes." Strife frowned and went to open in his mouth, but the other continued, "We don't have to stay for the whole thing.. just five more minutes?"

 

Strife thought this over for a moment, then sighed, "Five more minutes, Parvis."

 

A grin lit up Parv's face, "And if it's a boring movie, I'm sure we can find other ways to burn five minutes.." He added with a wink.

 

"You're unbelievable." Strife told him, though he felt his face getting warm. 

 

Parv got up from the couch to retrieve the remote from where it lay on the ground. He rolled his eyes as he returned to the couch and sat himself down closer than before, but Strife didn't say anything. He flipped it to a new channel, where a movie was already halfway through. At least they didn't have to sit through the boring beginning.

 

Only a few moments later, Parv surprised him by shifting so that they were almost facing each other and leaning across Strife to grab the volume remote. He did so in a way that Strife knew it was on purpose, but he couldn't form words when their faces were so close; a small smile on Parv's face as his eyes flickered from the remote to Strife.

 

He hated himself when he felt the warmth return to his face; he didn't like reacting like this whenever Parv got close to him.

 

"You could have just asked me to get it.." Strife said, though his voice was quiet.

 

"Mmm, wouldn't want to bother you." Parv replied in the same quiet tone, breath brushing across Strife's skin.

 

Push him away you idiot.

 

"You always bother me." Strife murmured, trying to keep his calm composure even though he had the sudden urge to kiss parv for being this close. What? No, he pushed that thought out of his head. 

 

Parv's mouth pulled up in a smirk as if hearing what he was thinking, "True."

 

It was then he noticed Parv's eyes flicker to his lips. Maybe he was thinking the same thing as well, maybe this is what he planned but Strife couldn't bring himself to complain. Parv's eyes returned to his and they stared intently at each other for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what to do next, but they were interrupted.

 

"Will!" Jenny's voice called from the other room, making them both jump, "Someone's here to see you!"

 

Returning to himself, Strife blinked and cleared his throat awkwardly and tried not to notice the disappointed look that flashed in Parv's eyes as he pulled away. He stood up from the couch even quicker and brushed himself off, as he always did when he went out to greet company. He glanced over at Parv who was now standing as well.

 

Without another word, he headed for the door, Parv following with a sigh.

____________________________________________________________

 

"Parv tells me you two almost kissed." Is the first thing Strife is greeted with when he arrived at work the next day.

 

Thankfully, Parv wasn't there yet. As soon as the words escaped her lips, Strife almost dropped the coffee he was holding, but quickly regained his composure. However, Jenny noticed his sudden hesitance and her eyes went wide as saucers and she covered her mouth with both hands.

 

"So he wasn't bullshitting me!" She exclaimed, "William Strife, you sly dog."

 

"Enough," He raised his hand, "It's too early for this."

 

Jenny was rocking on her heels, "Tell me all about it. He refused to say a word other than that and I need to know, Will."

 

"This is something teenage girls gossip about." He muttered, returning from his office.

 

"I am a teenage girl." She argued.

 

He flashed her a look, "Jennifer, you're twenty one years old."

 

Jenny pouted.

 

"Don't even start that with me." He said, turning away from her.

 

She appeared in front of him, blocking his path, "Please?" 

 

Strife raised his eyebrows, "You're begging me now?"

 

"Nah, but you asked for help in this sort of thing and I can't help you when I don't know what's going on." She countered with a sweet smile, batting her eyelashes innocently when he sighed.

 

Returning to the counter with Jenny on his heels, he turned around and rested against the class countertop.

 

"What did he tell you?"

 

She grinned, "Just that you two totally made out on the couch." He stared at her, so she just sighed, "Okay, when you left for that meeting, I asked why he was blushing and he said that he almost, and really wanted to, kiss you."

 

Strife ran a hand over his face. At least Parv wasn't over exaggerating things. He wondered if that last part was true or made up. Did Parv really want to kiss him? And if he had, Strife wondered if he would have pushed him away. The christmas thing was just a one time thing, right? With everything that happened recently, he doubted it.

 

"Yes," Strife pinched the bridge of his nose, "Except he forgot to add the part where I wanted to kiss him too."

 

Jenny let out a noise that was barely human which made her slap her hand over her mouth again, barely containing her grin. She didn't say anything, because she was waiting for Strife to let her. He just huffed.

 

"Go ahead."

"Oh my fu-" She caught herself, "Oh my god."

 

"Maybe you really are a teenage girl." He muttered.

 

Jenny was silent for a moment, probably gathering her thoughts and working out what to say next. He was glad she wasn't making intelligent noises and pressing him for details that part of him thought she would. Instead, she looked at him for a moment as her demeanor completely changed and she almost looked serious.

 

"Talk to me." She said, "What happened?"

 

"He just reached for the remote, which was sitting beside me, in the most precarious way." He explained, "I think he meant to, but our faces ended up inches apart, where the sudden thought of wanting to kiss him crossed my mind." He raked a hand through his hair. Talking about this wasn't professional at all, "And he kept looking at my mouth."

 

She bit her lip, "You've got it bad."

 

"What?" 

 

"You're in deep," She translated, then sighed, "Will and Parvy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g."

 

He huffed, "Stop that."

 

"First comes marriage," She cooed, "Then comes the baby in the baby carriage."

 

He cringed at the thought of Parv having to take care of a baby, "Absolutely not."

 

"Lesson two," Jenny said, "Admit you have a crush, it will make things much easier."

 

Hadn't he already? It was true though, right? What else would explain these annoying feelings he felt? The blushing, it was unlike him, but he found himself doing it more and more often only because he had no idea what was going on. And the weird feeling in his stomach whenever Parv got close. He decided he had to figure this out.

 

"Fine." He muttered.

 

Jenny sighed, "You have to say it to me. It's not very effective if you tell it to yourself."

 

He stared at her, "How much satisfaction are you getting out of this?"

 

"You have no idea." She smiled, "But it's to help you."

 

Strife went silent for a moment as he went over the six words in his head. He didn't want to say them because he didn't want them to be true. Admitting he had a crush on someone? That was some middle school stuff. He felt like he was in middle school right now, and the thought made him shudder.

 

Still, she was waiting for him to say something. Jenny was right though, he needed her help to figure this mess out, and if that meant gossiping like two teenagers, so be it. It would only be for a little bit longer. He supposed he could manage for that long. Valentines day was in a little more than a week and he still had barely any idea what to do.

 

He muttered it.

 

"Sorry, what was that?" Jenny asked, knowing exactly what he said.

 

Strife pinched the bridge of his nose again and forced the words out, "I have a crush on Parv."

 

The laugh from Jenny he expected didn't come. Instead, she just nodded and clasped her hands together, "There. Doesn't that feel better?"

 

In fact, it sort of did. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders so he let out a much needed sigh. He didn’t need to give her an answer for her to nod. She stared at him for a moment before giggling and rolling her eyes before running a hand through her hair as she returned behind the counter.

 

On cue, the door opened.

 

“Speak of the devil.” Jenny grinned over at Strife.

 

He glanced over to see Parv enter the store, hands above his head in a stretch. His black hair was ruffled and his clothes looked messy as if he had just woken up. Parv yawned and rubbed a hand down his face but smiled at Jenny. He seemed to just notice Strife standing there too, because he awkwardly waved.

 

Strife’s eyes flickered over his form for just a moment; he was wearing a black long sleeve which was wrinkled and tussled as if he had just taken it out of a laundry pile. His dark grey jeans were ripped at the knees and hung loosely at his hips, so when he stretched, Strife saw more skin than he wanted to. Not that he was looking.

 

“Like what you see?” Parv asked with a goofy smile, striking a pose. 

 

Damn it.

 

“Hey Parv, we were just talking about you.” Jenny informed him.

 

Strife shot her a look, but she only smiled at him. 

 

“Yeah?” He smiled and his sleepy eyes found Strife.

 

Even tired, Parv somehow managed to look good. Ugh. He had no idea why that thought crossed his mind. He wasn’t thinking about that right now. Right now..? No, not ever. 

 

“Talking about how you’re literally the devil.” Strife told him.

 

Parv produced a sucker from his pocket and unwrapped it, “Because I’m so hot, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Strife rolled his eyes.

 

He saw Parv bite his tongue as his lips twitched in a grin, and behind him, Jenny started giggling. Strife squinted, gaze flicking back and forth between them to figure out what was so funny, and then it suddenly hit him.

 

“Oh, come on.” He said, exasperated. 

 

“Y’hear that, jenny?” Parv popped the sucker into his mouth, “Will thinks I’m hot. You heard him agree.”

 

“I sure did.” Jenny smiled.

 

He involuntarily glanced down at the little bit of skin that was still showing at the helm of Parv’s shirt, waistband of his pants definitely not sitting where they should be. Of course, Parv caught him staring.

 

“I knew I was hot, but satan in the fiery pits of hell, hot?” Parv whistled, “Should we go rent a hotel room for a day, Will? You can see more of this.” He added as he lifted his shirt up a little more.

 

Strife forced himself to look away, earning laughs from the both of them. This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. When he finally decided to look back, Parv had the sucker back in his mouth, suggestively licking at it while staring at Strife. He huffed, very sure his face was red.

 

Thankfully, the torment was ended when the door to the shop opened and a woman stepped through, glancing around cautiously as if making sure she was in the right store. Moments later she turned to the three of them and smiled, but her eyes landed on Jenny.

 

“Jenny! Hello!”

 

Strife looked over to Jenny, whose face had went a few shades redder.

 

“Hi Lexa.”

 

He felt Parv nudge him, “Why is it that, everyone Jenny knows is hot?”

 

Strife turned his head slightly, “Are you trying to insinuate that I’m hot, Parvis?”

 

“Trying?” He grinned.

 

Electing to ignore him, Strife turned his attention back to the newcomer who had now reached the counter. She was wearing a grey, button up jacket with a light pink scarf around her neck, floral leggings which was questionable considering it was still cold outside, and light brown boots.

 

Piercing blue eyes stood out from her tanned skin, and she ran a hand through her curly,strawberry blonde hair as she smiled at her friend. She, Lexa, glanced over at Strife, still smiling.

 

“Hi, I take it you must be the man in charge.”

 

“That I am.” He replied with a nod.

 

Beside him, Parv scoffed, “Hey now, I could have been the boss!”

 

Lexa flashed him a sympathetic look and Strife slowly turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in amusement. Parv just shoved his hands in his pockets and mumbled something. 

 

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you since graduation!” Lexa exclaimed after turning back to Jenny.

 

“Um, fine, I’ve been really fine,” She started, smiling nervously. Strife narrowed his eyes wondering what that was about, “W-what about you?”

 

She sighed, “I’ve been travelling, but came back to the city because I missed you.”

 

Jenny’s face went red, “Me?”

 

Strife looked over at Parv, whose eyebrows were raised. The scene was clearly confusing to him too - he glanced over and met Strife’s gazed but shrugged.

 

“Yeah! We promised to go to England together for college, but then my dad got offered that job, you remember?” She continued, looking upset, “You never texted or anything.”

 

“Um, you never told me your phone number.” Jenny explained, scratching her head and looked almost embarrassed.

 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, then held out her hand, “Let me see your phone.”

 

Jenny dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone which she graciously handed over. As Lexa went to work, Jenny glanced over at both Strife and Parv with a clear help me right now expression, but he heard Parv snicker to himself. Strife wanted to see how this played out, so he just crossed his arms.

 

“Ta-da!” Lexa said, giving Jenny back her phone, “Call me anytime. Who was that other number without a name?”

 

“You, uh, you remember TJ right?” She smiled sheepishly, “He dropped by a few days ago and asked me out on Valentines day.”

 

"Ugh, TJ." She rolled her eyes at the thought, "He's cute but he sleeps around."

 

Jenny cast her gaze downwards, disappointed.

 

"Hey, why don't you and I hang out," Lexa suggested, "We'll scope out a date for you together. It shouldn't be so hard when you're so beautiful."

 

Strife had no idea it was possible for someones face to go so red, but Jenny managed to accomplish that. He was still staring, growing more amused by the second and could hardly wait to pester her, as she had pestered him. Going by the look of Parv's face, he had the same exact thought.

 

"U-Um, thank you," Jenny stammered, still blushing furiously, "That s-sounds great."

 

Lexa's eyes lit up, "Awesome! You could text me after work, we'll get together and take some time to catch up. I shouldn't be bother you right now, huh?"

 

Her gaze turned to Strife again, as if she was expecting an answer from him instead of Jenny. He felt himself smile when Jenny glanced over with wide eyes, warning him not to say a word but he couldn't help himself.

 

"Actually, her break is in ten minutes." Strife informed her, smiling politely, "And we aren't very busy today, so I'll extend it a little longer."

 

Jenny looked as if she might actually die as she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face, but Lexa just smiled brightly at him before turning back to her friend.

 

"Okay, how about the coffee place down the street?" She suggested.

 

"Sounds good." Jenny replied.

 

Lexa nodded, "How about I leave you for a few minutes and you meet me there, so I can score us some good seats?"

 

"Okay." She said, but her face said Don't leave me alone with these two.

 

She seemed absolutely thrilled with this, so she leaned across the counter and gave Jenny a hug, sighing into it. She mumbled something for only Jenny to hear. Strife couldn't see her reaction though he could tell she was still blushing. They said their goodbyes and Lexa headed for the door; as soon as she was gone, Parv was all over Jenny.

 

"So who was that?" He mused, leaning on the side counter.

 

"A friend." Jenny mumbled, once she recovered.

 

Parv's eyes flickered to the door, then back to Jenny, "She's really pretty."

 

"She sure is."

 

Strife walked towards the counter, interested in this conversation. He was intent on letting Parv do all the talking, since they had been thinking the same thing. 

 

"Do you like her?'" Parv teased.

 

Once again, Jenny's face went bright red, "N-No! Of course not!"

 

Parv suddenly stood up straight, "Oh, judging from that reaction, I’d say you do.”

 

"Parv!" She hissed, then looked to Strife for help.

 

He put his hands in his pockets, "Well, a wise woman once told me the second step is admitting you have a crush.”

 

Jenny glared at him and he just smirked, turning away. The tables were momentarily turned and it felt so good. He heard Parv go back to pestering Jenny, but she was mumbling something else as Strife returned to his office. He walked towards his desk, sighing at the mess of papers.

 

He leaned across the desk instead of walking around to open one of the drawers and grabbed a folder. He neatly tucked away a handful of papers before standing straight and flipped through it, unsure what he was looking for. Suddenly he remembered the memo from earlier, so he reached across to grab it.

 

Strife was interrupted by a knock on the door frame, so he sighed.

 

“What now, Parvis?”

 

“Well, right now I’m just enjoying the view.” He replied, smile in his voice.

 

Resisting the urge to sigh rather loudly, Strife turned around with an exasperated expression as his eyes met Parv’s, who was now leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. Behind him, the door opened and closed signaling Jenny’s leave, leaving the two of them alone again.

 

Strife leaned against the desk, hands gripping the edges on either side as he watched Parv saunter into the room and glance around as if it was the first time he had seen the inside of this office. If he had any say, Parv would never be in here, but when was the last time he had been listened to in this building?

 

“What do you think?” He asked, “Should we go for coffee too?”

 

Parv returned his gaze, “Dressed like that?”

 

Strife glanced down at himself, then back up with a frown, “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

 

“Your tie has been crooked all day, and your buttons are done up wrong.” Parv told him with a disapproving stare, taking a step forward.

 

He went to fix his own tie, but Parv slapped his hand away. Strife blinked and scoffed, but apparently Parv didn’t want to hear it because he went to work fixing the tie, muttering something about incapable babies. Strife huffed loudly and cast his eyes to the other side of the room as the other fiddled with the tie.

 

With one final tug, Parv seemed satisfied but didn’t step away. Strife glanced down at himself to see the tie was now neatly tucked away, done up better than it had previously been. He had been in a rush that morning, but he wasn’t going to explain himself to Parv, who tsk’ed at him.

 

“Now Will, I thought you were a professional.”

 

Strife ignored him, “How do you know how to tie a tie?”

 

Parv looked almost offended, “I’m not a complete idiot.”

 

He whistled, “Really, now?”

 

“Which one of us isn’t wearing their clothes properly?”

 

“Touche” 

 

With the talking, he hadn't noticed Parv get so close. It was like they were back on the couch and he found himself glancing down at Parv's lips who was still staring downwards, thankfully not noticing. Strife swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to think of something to say to relieve the tension. Parv just continued with the buttons.

 

"Trying to undress me, Parvis?" A smirk found his lips.

 

With a smile, Parv glanced back up at him as the last button came unhooked, "I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, Strifeykins."

 

Strife's eyebrows shot up, "Strifeykins?"

 

The smile stayed on the others face, "Yup."

 

"If you worked for me, I'd fire you right now." He said.

 

"Aw, don't be like that." Parv pouted, "It's cute."

 

Strife narrowed his eyes, "It's absolutely not. It's like me calling you Alex."

 

He rolled his eyes, "Well, it is my first name."

 

Two could play at this game.

 

"Okay, Alex." Strife said casually, "Whatever you say."

 

Parv scrunched up his nose, "Okay, I see your point."

 

He smiled, victorious. In the heat of the moment, he had momentarily forgotten how close they were standing so after a moment of staring at each other, Parv glanced away first and turned his attention back to the buttons. At this point, Strife just wanted to push himself away from the desk and do it himself but he also wanted to remain in place.

 

Probably on purpose, Parv took his time doing up the six buttons, a long lecture about dressing properly came with each one. Strife pretended to listen. He didn't need to hear this talk from someone who had once worn tacky christmas sweaters each day of the week for an entire month.

 

When he came back to himself after he assumed the talking had ceased, he realised Parv was staring at him, hands still on Strife's chest.

 

"What?"

 

"You do that alot." Parv noticed, voice a little quieter than before, "Zone out, even when I'm not talking to you."

 

He couldn't work out a clever retort, so he just remained silent, leaving Parv to try and work out what he was thinking about now. He narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing Strife was doing it on purpose but didn't say anything in return. Two could play at the silent game and Strife was an expert in ignoring people. Parv didn't know how to stop talking.

 

In doing so, the unexplained tension filled the room again and he noticed Parv's eyes flicker to his mouth. They were certainly close enough to kiss, maybe he was thinking about it.. that thought again? Ugh. That wasn't an observation he should be making right now, even when he felt his heart rate increase when Parv leaned forward slightly.

 

He didn't do anything, but something urged Strife to fill in the remaining distance, continue what had happened on christmas. He had made the first move then, why shouldn't he now? He blinked, staring at Parv who was looking intently at him, possibly trying to figure out what he was thinking again. Parv's breath on his skin wasn't helping.

 

"We should, uh," Strife cleared his throat, "get going. Break only lasts so long."

 

He once again tried not to notice the disappointment flash in the others eyes, the same expression he had seen before on the couch. But Parv pulled away, coughing awkwardly before running a hand through his dark hair. Strife managed to push himself away from the desk to grab his jacket, unsure if he'd need it or not.

 

After flipping the open sign to closed, the two of them headed outside in silence, not wanting to bring up what had almost happened. Strife didn't know what coffee shop Jenny had went to, but he and Parv headed to the one just around the corner, the same one they had went to in december.

 

People still gave them strange looks as they passed, but he ignored them. Parv however, greeted everyone he possibly good, and unlike he thought last time, it wasn't annoying. It was just part of the others naturally cheery attitude and inability to remain quiet for more than five seconds. It got on his nerves often, but he learned to not say anything.

 

Within no time at all, they arrived at the cafe. Parv stepping in first, Strife followed and was immediately hit with the sweet smell of chocolates and freshly baked goods - it was enough to put anyone in a good mood. Strife ordered his usual, but got a muffin along with it and stepped aside.

 

He watched as Parv ordered, but didn’t like how the cashier was looking at him. Parv seemed oblivious at first, but the guy was definitely checking him out. Strife narrowed his eyes slightly.

 

“Sure thing, hot stuff.” He said as he finished talking Parv’s order, then added a wink.

 

When Parv turned to face him, Strife noticed there was a faint blush in his cheeks as he scratched his head. He was obviously unused to being flirted with by strangers, but gained his confidence back when he noticed Strife staring.

 

“What’s with that look?” He asked with a smile, “You’re not jealous, are you?”

 

“No.” Strife told him.

 

He grabbed his coffee and waited, but Parv took a little longer, keeping his eyes on the barista instead of Strife. The guy noticed him staring and smiled and from this angle, Strife could see he smiled back. Doing his best to ignore the scenario, he took a drink of his coffee. It was not jealously.

 

“Order up for the attractive guy in black.” He called out.

 

Damnit.

 

He heard Parv laugh as he accepted the drink, both of them exchanging quiet conversation that was just loud enough for Strife to overhear.

 

Thanks, you’re not too bad looking yourself.

You’re flattering me, honestly.

I wish he would have brought me sooner, I didn’t know about the cute employees.

Is he your boyfriend?

Nah. Just a friend.

Good to know.

 

The two finished the conversation with a laugh while Strife tried not to stare as he ignored the feeling in his chest. He had felt it before when Jenny kissed Parv on the cheek. He absolutely refused to admit it was jealousy. Jealous? Him? Never. However, it flared through him again when he saw the cashier whisper something in Parv’s ear.

 

Smiling, Parv walked over to him. He looked extremely satisfied with himself, and when he caught Strife staring, the smile only widened.

 

“I thought you said you weren’t jealous.”

 

“I’m not.” He snapped a little too quickly.

 

Parv tilted his head, “Say that to your poor coffee cup.”

 

Strife looked down at his drink, completely unaware that he had been grabbing it so tightly he began to dent it. 

 

“Shut up.” was the best thing he could say.

 

This wasn’t something Parv was going to let go, Strife was sure of it. Even when they sat down, his eyes drifted back to the counter and Strife angrily sipped at his drink, completely aware that these range of emotions he was feeling were irrational but he couldn’t stop them.

 

“You’re glaring at him again.” Parv noticed, resting his head in his hands, smile bright enough to light up the room, “I smell jealousy.”

 

Strife glared at his beverage.

 

“That’s adorable.” He continued, “Maybe I should flirt with more people around you.”

 

The guy caught Parv’s stare, so he smiled. Parv gave a small wave in return so Strife clenched his teeth together.

 

“Maybe you should hire Nick, so I can see him every day.” He suggested with a happy sigh.

 

“Oh, so he’s got a name now?” Strife growled.

 

He could almost feel Parv’s shit-eating grin but refused to take his eyes off his drink, “This is incredible. William Strife. Jealous. What a time to be alive.”

 

He huffed, “I’m going back.”

 

Strife didn’t give Parv a chance to respond before he got up from the booth and brushed off his clothes. With a laugh, the other got up too, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to stop when he was on a roll. He turned to look at Parv, who took a long sip of his drink innocently.

 

“You better keep your mouth shut.”

 

“Jenny has to know about this.” He said once he wiped his mouth off, “I’m gonna tell her that strifeykins was jealous of lil’ ol’ parvy flirting with someone.”

 

Strife had no idea what compelled him, but he quickly leaned over and grabbed the front of the others shirt; Parv immediately bracing himself, still smiling. He thought Strife was about to start throwing punches - Obviously, Parv didn’t expect him to yank him close and smash their lips together in an angry attempt at a kiss.

 

He tensed up, making a sort of strangled noise in the back of his throat. The smile immediately dropped off his face and the heat coming from his cheeks gave Strife such a satisfying feeling. He just stood there, obviously shocked.

 

It only lasted a few seconds; but before Strife pulled away, he felt Parv relax and start to kiss back. It sent a sort of electric feeling through him - of pleasure or anger or what, he wasn’t sure, and knew he should’ve just stopped but he didn’t. Because apparently kissing Parv like this, even out of anger, was really nice.

 

But Strife managed to yank himself away just as fast before he ended up making out with Parv right here in the middle of the cafe and headed for the doors before even giving a chance for Parv to respond. He shoved his hands in his pockets, still angry and just thankful that no one else noticed.

 

However,he did manage to catch the cashiers, Nick’s, eyes but he just glared even harder. Nick glanced away first and Strife felt himself smirk as he pushed the doors open. He knew he was going to regret this whole thing later, but in the heat of the moment, it was the most satisfying thing in the world.

 

“Will!” Paarv called after him.

 

He huffed as he turned to see the other approaching, bouncing like a giddy child but before he said anything, Strife grabbed his shirt again and lowered his voice to a menacing tone.

 

“I don’t get jealous, I get even.” He growled, “Now don’t say another word.”

 

He turned and started walking again, but Parv and his stupid grin followed.

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

Strife walked into work the next day and just like every other day, Parv was sitting on the counter talking with Jenny. They didn't notice at first, but Jenny noticed and waved him over - as soon as Parv's eyes landed on him, his lips twitched in a smile but otherwise he kept a blank face as he ignored them and went to his office.

 

He had no idea of knowing if Jenny was informed of what informed of yesterday, but judging from her lack of reaction when he arrived, Strife assumed Parv kept his big mouth shut for once which was a nice thought. For once something happened that Parv didn't want to blab to other people about.

 

After returning home, Strife thought the thoughts of regret would fill his mind, but he only felt satisfaction. He wasn't sure if it was from kissing Parv, or his reaction to it, or the whole thing, but he was pleased. It had lingered on his mind the whole night. When they had returned from the cafe, they didn't talk about it.

 

Parv tried to, but Strife wouldn't let him. As far as he was concerned, it was a one time thing that he did just to shut Parv up for claiming he was jealous. Jealous? Okay, fine. He didn't like Parv flirting with someone else when they both knew he had a thing for Strife. He figured the flirting was on purpose to get a reaction. It worked. 

 

He exited the office with a huff. Parv glanced over at him and winked, but turned his attention back to Jenny who was trying to ignore him. He was drilling her with questions about her date, so for the time being, they had something else to talk about.

 

"You're not going to give me details?" He whined, leaning on the counter, "It went fine? What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"It means it was fine, Parv." She replied, glancing over to Strife.

 

He let out an exasperated sigh, "Come on Jenny, are you at least going to see her again?"

 

Jenny didn't say a word.

 

"Ooohh.." He mused, "Another date, huh? Maybe Will and I can come with you. Y'know, as a double date."

 

Both Strife and Jenny stared at him, but she looked more thoughtful. Strife narrowed his eyes. He was not going on a double date and he made sure his expression showed it loud and clear when Parv glanced over at him expectantly.

 

"N-No, it's fine." She assured him, then paused, "Speaking of, how'd your date go yesterday?"

 

"Changing the subject, huh?" Parv asked, though his eyes lit up.

 

Strife shoved his hands in his pockets, "It was fine."

 

Now it was their turn to look over at him. Jenny looked unconvinced, very sure there was something more to the story. She pursed her lips as if trying to figure out what he was hiding meanwhile Parv's mouth slowly stretched into a smile as he tilted his head. His eyes were bright. They made eye contact, but Strife didn't let his expression give anything away.

 

He knew Parv wanted to spill the beans, but he kept his mouth closed. Strife looked back at Jenny who had now crossed her arms. She definitely knew something was up, so instead, she turned her gaze on Parv, waiting for an answer. He usually told her everything, so Strife was relieved when he just shrugged innocently.

 

"He was boring as always. Blah blah work, blah blah parv you're an idiot." He told her, ignoring the look Strife gave him, "Y'know, the usual."

 

Somewhat satisfied, Jenny nodded, but her gaze lingered for a little longer as if she thought he was going to say something else. Suddenly, her phone rang which made her jump. Jenny quickly answered it.

 

"Hello?" She asked, then her face went red, "Oh! Lexa, Hi."

 

She hurried off into the back room, her voice becoming a mumble, leaving the two alone once again. Unbeknownst to Strife, he had zoned out again staring at the windows, so he blinked when he felt Parv's stare on him again, so he looked over to see the other with a thoughtful expression. 

 

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, tilting his head again with a small smile.

 

"You're an idiot." He replied as Parv started walking over to his side of the counter.

 

He sighed, "Yeah, if I had a cent for every time you said that.."

 

Parv came to a halt beside him and leaned on the counter, still staring thoughtfully. It was clear he was thinking about something, and Strife had an idea about what. He decided to move over and stand beside Parv, which seemed to surprise the other. Strife wasn't going to run away from what happened yesterday; but he wasn't going to continue it.

 

"Penny for your thoughts?" He mused.

 

He turned his head to face Parv who was already doing the same thing. He was quiet for a moment but eventually his eyes flickered to Strife's mouth for a brief second.

 

"I want to kiss you again." He murmured as Strife turned his head away.

 

He was silent as he felt Parv's eyes burn into the side of his head. Part of him knew that was going to be the answer, but he still couldn't work up a reply. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to kiss Parv again too, but he also didn't want to ruin the relationship they had, whatever it was.

 

Strife didn't want to act too fast on this crush, but impulse told him to just go with it. It had been two months and he still had no idea where they stood with each other and the thought was still irritating. Involved enough to flirt, but not involved enough to be aware of some sort of romantic relationship. Did he even want one? With Parv?

 

He turned his head back to the other, surprised to find he had already inched forwards. This time there was only a few inches between them; Strife took this time to analyze. He had a crush on Parv.. why? He was certainly attractive, a trait he didn't ever think to notice in guys. His personality, albeit childish and downright annoying at times, was humorous.

 

Another thing was - oh..that. Parv had leaned forward while he was in thought and pressed their lips together, blinking him out of his thoughts. Just like before, he noticed it was much different than kissing a girl - Parv's lips were warm, even soft, and he smiled into it, making it seem more inviting. Strife wasted no time kissing back, making the other relax.

 

Parv tilted his head, deepening the kiss and his tongue shot out and brushed against Strife's lips, asking for entrance. He shifted his body and brought his hand up to cup Strife's cheek, though he wasn't quite sure if it was the hand or his face that was warm. He could feel the heat radiating off Parv's face as well.

 

Totally unaware of anything around him but Parv, he grabbed a fistful of the others shirt and pulled him closer which resulted in a quiet moan from the back of Parv's throat. Strife felt himself smirk into it, but he parted his lips and allowed Parv's tongue to enter his mouth and this time, Strife emitted a quiet groan much to the others satisfaction.

 

This was much better than the christmas thing, or the coffee shop, because he felt completely at ease. It wasn't rushed or forceful or trying to prove a point - it sent a feeling of electricity shooting through him, something he hadn't felt in quite some time and loved the feeling of. And if Parv was the one to give him that feeling, so be it.

 

"I knew it!" 

 

They both pulled away abruptly to see Jenny standing in the doorway of the back room, clutching her phone in her hand with a smug expression on her face and a knowing smirk. Her eyes were wide, but so many emotions were flashing through them at once. Strife felt himself go warm - he hadn't heard the door open.

 

Parv had the same flustered expression, though he was wearing a goofy smile along with it as if he was giving himself a mental high five.

 

"I knew something happened the other day." She mused, stepping forward as Strife scratched his neck, "Or has this thing been going on for a while?" Her eyes turned to Parv.

 

"No ma'am." He replied, though he was starting to grin, "This is the first time since Christmas, well, not if you count yesterday." He turned his devious grin on Strife.

 

Strife put his head in his hands.

 

"What happened yesterday?" She demanded, walking forward.

 

He heard Parv laugh, "Will here got jealous."

 

This seemed to catch her attention, "Oh?"

 

Strife ran his hands down his face, staring out through his fingers.

 

"Well, have I got the story for you..." Parv started.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

The next week was possibly the most eventful of Strife’s life. Jenny hardly ever left him alone after catching the two of them kissing - she was there as a teacher more than ever before, telling him the steps he should take next and asking about his feelings. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he couldn’t help but smile whenever she brought it up.

 

And finally when the day rolled around, she came to him before Parv arrived, quizzing him on everything she previously spoke about. Jenny wanted to know that he was ready and wouldn’t disappoint Parv. This is important to him. she had told him sternly, if you mess it up I’ll mess YOU up.

 

It wasn't until that day that Strife realised he didn't have Parv's phone number. He never thought about it because no one ever asked him about it, but he supposed he felt relieved because he didn't need another way for Parvis no annoy him to no end. When he had this sudden thought on his way to work, he knew he had to ask.

 

Parv was beyond thrilled with the request as if he had been waiting to give Strife his number ever since they met, which probably wasn't far from the truth. Even Jenny raised her eyebrows, possibly assuming they already had each others numbers. She mumbled something to herself about sexting, but he ignored her.

 

"Why do you want my number all of a sudden?" Parv asked.

 

Strife tried to keep it casual, "Well, we can't go on a date tonight if we don't have each others numbers, can we?"

 

He glanced over to Jenny who gave him two thumbs up. Parv, on the other hand, smiled so hard he had to turn away. He obviously hadn't been expecting that reply - they hadn't discussed valentine's day the whole week, so he probably assumed Strife forgot about it. He exhaled - there was no backing out of this now. 

 

With Jenny, he had discussed everything. After arguing about restaurants, they finally just decided on Strife and Parv eating at home. Then came the barrage of questions from her; What are you going to make? Is it romantic? Can you even cook, Strife? He assured her he could, but that wasn't what he had in mind. 

 

He had absolutely no idea what Parv liked to eat besides fast food, so he didn't want to cook anything. Strife, of course, didn't mention to Jenny that he was probably going to order something because she'd probably kill him right then and there. It wasn't romantic enough, she'd complain. He wasn't going for romantic. Romantic dinners were cheesy.

 

He didn't do cheesy. Besides, he was sure Parv wouldn't mind. Or would he? What if he was expecting something fancy? Ugh. Strife pushed the thought out of his mind. It was Parv. He'd be impressed that Strife lived somewhere that wasn't his office. He sighed again, wondering what else he'd need. Flowers? Absolutely not.

 

What else has Jenny suggested? Chocolate? He was very sure Parv didn't need any chocolate in his system, he was already hyper enough. What was next? Music... she had given him an entire playlist, but he didn't have to listen to it to know it was all slow, romantic, lovey dovey crap and he didn't need any of that. 

 

He needed a break from this. It was on his mind lately and he had no idea why. Was it because he actually wanted to impress Parv? Did he not want to mess anything up? He huffed. Maybe he'd just have Jenny hide in the closet and tell him what to do. Though, he'd probably complain he wasn't paying enough attention to Parv.

 

Thankfully, someone came through the door. They all glanced over at the same time to see a girl, Lexa, enter. She was wearing a loose teal coloured tanktop covered by a black leather jacket and white skinny jeans. A wool white beanie sat on her head, but her curly blonde hair looked brighter than ever.

 

"Wow Will, you need to step up your game." He heard Parv say.

 

Strife glared at him.

 

"Hi everyone!" Lexa said, a smile sitting on her face, but her gaze was on Jenny who was once again blushing furiously. Lexa seemed to notice this time, because she tilted her head, "What?"

 

"Y-You look gorgeous." She stammered.

 

Lexa laughed, "Please. It's nothing compared to you in that dress the other day."

 

Strife raised his eyebrows. Jenny? In a dress? 

 

"Pics or it didn't happen." Parv crossed his arms, equally surprised

 

Rolling her eyes, Lexa fished her phone out of her purse and fiddled with it for a few moments before walking over to Parv and holding it out. His eyes went wide immediately and he glanced over to Jenny.

 

"Wow, you didn't tell me you were hot."

 

Jenny put her face in her hands and both he and Lexa laughed. She put her phone away and walked back over to the counter. Strife glanced over to Parv who still looked flustered, but they made eye contact.

 

"Well, not as hot as you." He added with a wink for only Strife to hear.

 

He rolled his eyes and glanced over at the clock - it was four in the afternoon. One more hour until he had to go home and worry about what he was going to do. Maybe he'd just get chinese food. Then he heard Jenny's nagging voice in his head, telling him he could probably just cook noodles. This was harder than he thought.

 

"So what's up?" Jenny asked.

 

"I just came by to tell you the two guys cancelled on us." Lexa told her, slight irritation in her friendly voice but it vanished in seconds as she shrugged, "Boys. What can you do."

 

Parv grumbled something and Lexa glanced over at him and Strife.

 

"Maybe we can take these two instead?" 

 

Jenny answered before Strife could, "Nah, they've already got their own date planned."

 

"Oh?" She looked amused. Lexa looked at the two of them before nodding, as if mentally deciding she approved, then looked back at Jenny, "Then I guess you and I are going on a date together."

 

Blushing, Jenny smiled, "Oh no, how tragic."

 

"When do you get off?" She asked

 

"In an hour."

 

Apparently unsatisfied with this answer, Lexa returned her gaze to Strife,silently pleading something but Strife knew exactly what she was asking. And he was feeling generous today anyway.

 

"It's Valentines day, no ones going to come in." He assured them, then met Jenny's eyes, "You can go if you want."

 

Jenny smiled warmly at him then giggled as she headed to the backroom to gather her stuff, Lexa following suit. Strife went into his office to gather his things as well, there was no point in staying when he could be doing other things. Wow. Other things instead of doing work. Parv had certainly changed him.

 

"I'm gonna go home and look for the most fancy clothes I own." Parv told him from the doorway,"Wish me luck."

 

"You're gonna need it." Strife told him.

 

He heard Parv scoff, but he ignored him and gathered the rest of his things and turned around to head out.

 

“Weird.” Parv mused, “I always thought you lived here.”

 

“I was under the impression you live here, seeing as you never leave.” Strife told him.

 

Parv rolled his eyes just as jenny and Lexa emerged from the back room. Jenny had a backpack slung over her shoulder, but she walked over to strife and pressed a folded piece of paper into his hand. 

 

“Good luck.” She smiled, before turning and exiting the store with Lexa.

 

_______________________________________________________

 

The piece of paper was a list of things, which he hadn’t even looked at until he arrived back at his apartment. Instead of consisting of the cheesy, impractical romance stuff they had talked about, it was a more simplified version - more realistic. Suitable clothes, of course. Clean apartment, well, it was always clean.

 

Things to talk about? He was certain Parv would come with his mouth running on overtime and talk until he passed out, so that wasn’t something he had to worry about. Food. He had since decided on just ordering chinese food, but he didn’t tell her that or else she’d have a heart attack. He had no food, anyway.

 

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 

just checking to make sure u didnt give me a fake number

 

Strife was almost tempted to reply who is this?

 

I would never do such a thing to you, Parvis.  
your sarcasm warms my heart  
And your lack of punctuation only makes mine grow colder.  
;)  
Don’t use emoticons or I’ll delete you.  
but I have your number remember  
;))))

 

Strife huffed. He knew this was a bad idea.

 

I’ll change my number.  
:(

 

Deciding to ignore him for now, Strife glanced around.Since his apartment was already clean and he wasn’t making anything, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. He glanced over at the clock - five o'clock. He’d probably order the food around six and then invite Parv over at the same time, so hopefully both would arrive together.

 

im gonna bring my guitar over idc what you say  
possibly serenade u  
probably injure myself standing on the table but w/e  
Why do you own a guitar  
why NOT

 

He rolled his eyes.

 

im in a band  
we’re super famous  
but you’ve probably never heard of us  
That’s probably a good thing.  
:(  
Is that what you’ve been doing when you’re not bugging me?  
yup believe it or not i have friends  
Amazing.  
>:(

 

Strife sighed.

 

people pay to see us m8  
People probably pay to make you stop.  
fight me  
right now  
im gonna play for u and you’ll eat ur words

 

An hour filled with annoying emoticons, Parv updating him about his clothes situation and not-so-subtle flirting later, Strife finally invited him over, Parv assuming it was a fake address the entire time and being skeptical that he wasn’t being led to a crack den or something. He ordered the food shortly after.

 

He thought about texting Jenny, but didn’t want to interrupt the date she was on. Hopefully she had taken all of the advice she had given strife and used some of it to help herself. Maybe Lexa made her so nervous she forgot how to speak. Whatever the outcome, he was sure he’d find out tomorrow.

 

Strife decided to take off one layer of clothing, leaving him with only his red dress shirt, which he pushed the sleeves up to his elbows to. He made sure it was tucked into his pants like usual. He ran a hand through his blonde hair - he needed a haircut because it was beginning to get long, but now was not the time.

 

He heard a knock on the door which made him jump, but he quickly recovered and went to open it. As he was expecting, Parv was there, but he hadn’t seemed to notice the door open and was grumbling as he tried shoving his shirt back into his pants. His attire was the first thing Strife noticed.

 

Instead of casual clothes, or ugly christmas sweaters, he actually looked good. He had on a black suit vest but it was unbuttoned to reveal a plain white dress shirt underneath hastily done up like he had never worn one before. He didn’t have on a tie or dress pants, but instead wore black jeans. Well, he got points for trying.

 

Parv looked up and quickly brushed a hand through his hair, embarrassed, because he hadn't noticed Strife standing there. With this formal wear and - recently trimmed - facial hair, he almost looked like an adult. Almost. Parv flashed him a cocky grin which ruined the illusion. True to his word, a guitar was slung across his back.

 

“Well?” He held his arms out to either side, “How do I look?”

 

“All grown up.” Strife responded, the corner of his lips pulling up in a smile, “I take it your luck ran out on the lower half of your body?”

 

Parv sighed, “I don’t do formal. That’s your thing.”

 

“Well, you look good.” Strife replied, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them.

 

He grinned like an idiot, “Do I look hot?” 

 

Don’t say a word, just invite him in. Keep your mouth shut. Don’t say what you’re thinking. Just invite him in.

 

“When don’t you?”

 

Why did you just say that?

 

To his surprise, Parv’s face went red. Apparently that was the right thing to say, so he smiled, amused. His eyes linered on the other for a moment before he stepped aside to allow Parv through. He closed the door as Parv started to look around. He immediately went over and picked up a book from a shelf. Strife was going to regret this.

 

He watched as Parv took the guitar by the strap and swung it around so he could easily take it off - it had no case or protection. Strife wasn’t a musician, but he could only assume that wasn’t good for it. However, Parv just rested it against the wall and rested his hands on his hips with a sigh.

 

“Why do you live in an apartment if you’re rich? He questioned.

 

Strife huffed, “I’m not rich. If I was, I’d pay someone to keep you away from me.”

 

Parv turned and grinned at him, “You could just get a restraining order.” He paused and tilted his head, “But what would you ever do without me around?”

 

He snorted, “I’d be completely stress free.”

 

Parv rolled his eyes, “Well, are you gonna give me the tour?”

 

“I have a feeling you’d make your way around even if I said no.”

 

Still grinning, Parv turned and walked into the living room, glanced around and then took a sudden interest in the hallway. He vanished down it and Strife had to follow to make sure he didn’t break anything. He opened the closet door and immediately started complaining that there was ‘nothing in here’. Strife didn’t like extra junk laying around.

 

He also complained about the lack of paintings or photos on the walls, claiming that they were bare and boring just like Strife’s personality. He had been expecting Strife to smack him on the back of the head, but he dodged it with a giggle. The second door he opened lead to the bathroom, which he also complained about for being too small.

 

“You’re not moving in, so what do you care?” He had grumbled.

 

Parv had heard him and smiled, “Not yet”

 

The last door opened to the bedroom, which Parv seemed incredibly interested in. 

 

“I bet we’re gonna be spending a lot of time in here tonight.” He mused, winking at Strife, whose face went red at the comment.

 

Parv went over to the dresser and started picking up everything as he examined each thing which annoyed Strife to no end. Afterwards, he went over to the closet and opened it, sighing as he did so. He pulled out a normal tee shirt, pretending to act surprised that he actually owned clothes that wasn't his work uniform.

 

He took the shirt from Parv and put it back in the closet - when he turned around, Parv was already jumping on the bed. He huffed. It was like dealing with a five year old. He ran a hand through his hair, watching as the other treated his bed like it was a trampoline. His disapproving stare was met with a shit-eating grin.

 

With one final bounce, he jumped off and was headed to the balcony. He slid open the glass door as Strife quickly put his blankets back together. If he ever invited Parv over again, he was going to have to childproof everything. With a final sigh, he turned and approached the door beside his bed.

 

He stepped out onto the stone balcony to see Parv leaning on the railing, admiring the view. That was something Strife always liked - he was on the top floor which overlooked the city. The sun was setting,showing off a beautiful mixture of red, orange and yellow.

 

Strife joined him, putting his hands on the cool metal railings and stared out into the distance. It was a relaxing view most of the time, it's where he came to just think, but mainly in the summer when it wasn't cold out. Surprisingly, it wasn't that cold for the middle of February and at least the snow was melting.

 

"This is really nice, actually." Parv sighed.

 

Strife nodded in agreement. A sudden chill made them both shiver and decide to head back inside. Just as he predicted, Parv jumped on his bed once again but this time he burrowed under the blankets, muffled giggling coming from the lump on the middle of his bead. Strife simply exhaled and grabbed a pillow to hit the spot where Parv was.

 

It was met with a squeal and the blob started moving around again, messing up the already made sheets. Strife supposed he couldn't complain anymore - this was the be expected when dealing with children. Suddenly Parv's head popped out of the blankets and was now resting on the pillow, a smile on his face as he snuggled into the blankets.

 

"You gonna come join me?" He looked up at Strife expectantly.

 

Strife tossed the pillow and it landed on his face.

 

He started to exit the room, and Parv let out a drawn-out groan as he was forced to get out bed to follow. And then as if having an idea, Parv was suddenly pushing past him and was the first one back out into the living room. When Strife arrived, Parv had his guitar in his hands and was slinging the strap over him.

 

"What are you doing now?" 

 

"I told you, I'm gonna serenade you." Parv replied with a grin.

 

Strife put his hands in his pocket, "Don't you have to have an acoustic guitar for that?"

 

"Hey, hey, don't doubt electric guitars." Parv told him, "I like this one better."

 

"Yeah, because you have the same qualities." He pointed out, "Loud and annoying."

 

Parv pouted, but otherwise ignored him. He strummed a few times as he sat down on the arm of the couch, looking focused. He strummed a few more chords, nodding to himself apparently satisfied with something. Strife had no idea what he was doing, but it was somewhat amusing. 

 

"Well.. the guys and I are still working on this one but it's suitable." He murmured, then glanced back up Strife as if noticing he was still there, "This ones called.." He paused, zoning out for a second, " 'Sparkles had a name but I forgot so I'm just gonna call it Parv is the best guitarist 2.0' ." He decided with a nod

 

Strife decided not to ask who the hell Sparkles was or what kind of name it was, so he just sighed and leaned against the wall. Parv looked flustered as he began playing, maybe he wasn't used to people watching so Strife glanced away for a few moments until the notes became more rhythmic.

 

After a few moments, the doubt on his face melted away as his fingers strummed away, becoming more and more relaxed. A smile grew on his face - Strife figured this was his natural element. The music started off slow and quiet, but gradually grew in volume as it went on but the melody was that of a love song, he guessed.

 

Strife tilted his head and watched as Parv closed his eyes, still smiling, so he figured there were words to the song and he was singing them in his head. Parv opened his eyes and glanced up at him; Strife nodded in approval and smiled, so Parv grinned and back down at his guitar.

 

The song gradually started slowing down again and Strife found himself enjoying it. There was something about this that just couldn’t figure out. Perhaps it was because this was a side of Parv he hadn’t seen before - he was always childish, irritating and goofy and it was like a flip had suddenly switched.

 

And just like that, the song was over. Parv was still smiling as he brushed his hand through his hair and glanced up at Strife.

 

“What’d you think?”

 

“It was nice.” He said, then paused, “But it’s going to take more than that to get into my pants.”

 

Parv grinned, standing up, “Then I guess I’ll have to try harder.”

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. They both looked over, but Parv announced he had to use the washroom. He vanished down the hallway, promising not to break anything as Strife turned for the door. It was the food he had ordered - so he took it, payed, and then began setting the table as if he had made it himself.

 

He knew it wouldn’t fool Parv, but it was worth a shot to pretend. His stomach growled at the smell and threw away the containers just as he heard the door down the hall open. He walked out of the kitchen just as Parv emerged from the hallway, eyes immediately going to the table.

 

“So you ordered in, huh?” He mused, “Romantic.”

 

“Actually, I made it all myself.” Strife said, kicking the receipt on the floor out of view.

 

Parv raised eyebrows, “Oh really?” His gaze turned to Strife, “Is there a reason I didn’t smell anything earlier?”

 

“You’re dumb.”

 

Letting out a sigh, Parv shook his head and wandered over to the table, “I didn’t know you cooked.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Strife put his hands in his pockets, “You probably didn’t know, but I’m a five star chef.”

 

“Mmm.” Parv mused, plucking a chicken ball off the plate. He took a bite and nodded in approval, “It tastes like the chinese place down the street.”

 

Strife smiled, “who do you think does their cooking?”

 

With a laugh, Parv pulled out the chair and sat down.He shoved the rest of the ball in his mouth and glanced over at Strife - he attempted to smile and swallow at the same time, but started coughing immediately afterwards, causing Strife to laugh and offer the other a glass of water, which he accepted once he recovered.

 

And they ate - As he expected, Parv talked throughout the whole thing, shoving food into his mouth as he did so. He tried to stop talking and close his mouth to chew, but it was as if he had to be talking at all times. Any other time, Strife would be disgusted, but right now he found himself not caring.

 

For the most part, he listened. But sometimes his mind drifted off to the list Jenny had given him - at this point, he had ignored half of it, but things seemed to be running smoothly. So far. Someone could always go wrong, he just hoped luck was in his favour tonight.

 

Once they finished, Parv provided sarcastic comments about how he should call Strife’s ‘boss’ and compliment him on the good work. He rolled his eyes as Parv went into the kitchen to wash his hands, then pulled out the list from his pocket. There was still the ‘watch movies’ option, which he planned on doing anyway.

 

“What’s that?” 

 

Strife quickly looked up to see Parv re-entering the room, a confused smile on his face as he wiped his hands off on his pants.

 

“Nothing.” He said a little too quickly, crumpling the paper.

 

Unfortunately, Parv picked up on it pretty quickly, “Isn’t that what Jenny gave you earlier?” He started to grin, “Aw, are you getting her help?”

 

“N-no,” He stammered, unsure as to why he was suddenly flustered, “I figured you’d like all this.” He stopped himself, “I mean, you do, right?”

 

“Will-”

 

“I knew it was bad.” He told himself, “I’m garbage at these types of things, I never know what to do.”

 

“Will, I-”

 

Strife kept going, “I should have just listened to what she told me, followed this stupid list to impress some stupid guy, I-”

 

Suddenly Parv was kissing him. The instant warmth from being so close was something he didn’t realised he missed so much until it was there again; Parv’s hands were cupping his face, eyes closed with his head tilted slightly to give out that same inviting feeling, making him relax once again, unaware that he had been so tense.

 

The whole thing was unexpected, so he slowly placed a hand on Parv’s side. He felt his face radiate warmth, but he wasn’t embarrassed like last time. This felt nice, just like before. It erased every thought from his mind, leaving him in the moment which he supposed was the intended goal.

 

Parv pulled back, and he wanted to complain. His grip tightened on Parv’s side as they gazed into each other’s eyes, foreheads resting against each other. Strife blinked, his breathing shallow.

 

“You talk too much.” He said quietly, and Strife ignored the urge to roll his eyes for once, “And you didn’t let me finish.” He glanced down briefly, “I love it.”

 

Strife tried to gain his confidence back, but it was hard when they were still so close. It was distracting, “Well, uh, yeah, I knew you’d like it.”

 

Parv rolled his eyes again, but his attention was quickly diverted. His eyes flickered back to Strifes as he moved his hands from his face to his chest, gently grabbing at Strife’s shirt. Parv looked down at his mouth, and this time he licked his own lips, eyes flashing with something that resembled need.

 

He wasn’t going to pull away this time, or make excuses to be somewhere else. They both seemed to have to same exact thought at the same time, because they both moved forwards and connected their lips again, Strife bringing both hands to Parv’s waist, pulling him closer with a satisfied noise.

 

More intent this time around, Parv grinned into it, tilting his head as he poked his tongue along Strife’s lips until he parted them, both tongues meeting. He moved his hands back up to Strife’s neck then wrapped his arms around his shoulders, one hand gripping onto Strife’s hair as if they weren’t close enough.

 

They pulled away momentarily for air, but went right back to it, Parv still trying to take control of the kiss, but Strife was playing hard to get. Moving his hands around, he snaked his hands up the helm of Parv’s shirt, fingers brushing against skin, causing him to gasp and lose his focus for a moment.

 

Strife took that opportunity to grin into it as his tongue entered the others mouth, a quiet moan coming from Parv. His hands continued to travel up his shirt - Strife wasn’t quite sure what he was doing, but in the moment it felt right - hands still touching warm skin. He envied the warmth radiating off them both.

 

Parv, in an attempt to one up him, unslung his arms from around Strife, and rested his hands back on his face but moved them backwards until Strife felt the back of his knees touch the edge of the couch. At that, Parv moved his hands to his shoulders and pushed up so he fell back onto the couch.

 

He only had a second to breathe before Parv was kissing him again, sitting in his lap, straddling him. Both hands were now clutching Strife’s hair, tilting his head back so he could deepen the kiss, obviously pleased with the groan that came from Strife. Parv shifted, and he became fully aware what the other was trying to do. It was working.

 

Parv fiddled with the buttons on Strife’s shirt, only getting the top two undone before he paused, pulling away only slightly to catch his breath, allowing Strife to slip the unbuttoned vest off Parv’s shoulders which he tossed to the floor. He resumed the kiss and attempting to unbutton the rest of his shirt.

 

Before he could get any farther, however, Strife flipped them so that Parv was now lying on his back on the couch, staring up at him in awe, while Strife hovered above him. They were both breathing heavy, but couldn’t care to complain as Strife lowered himself into the kiss again, Parv running his hands through his hair.

 

Parv let out a surprised squeak when Strife pulled away to move his lips to his neck, but then moaned as he kissed his way down to the skin right above his collar bone, which appeared to be sensitive. Pleased with that reaction, Strife started placing soft licks against it, gently biting which made Parv’s hand tighten in his hair.

 

He resisted the urge to chuckle and began kissing his way back upwards, Parv fully relaxed under his touch. His hands were still up the others shirt, brushing them along Parv’s chest who whimpered something quietly. Strife pulled back, grinning to see Parv had fallen apart in just a few moments.

 

“Well if you’re gonna do that..” He murmured,eyes on Strifes lips as he breathed heavily, looking both bewildered and aroused, “We might as well go make good use of your bedroom now, huh?”

 

The tone of his voice suggested a challenge, like he thought Strife was going to decline and just end all this like he did in the backroom, or the office. With half lidded eyes, Strife instead glanced down at him for a moment, before leaning back to allow Parv to sit up.

 

“After you.”

 

Parv grinned and pulled him in for another kiss.

 

______________________________________________________

 

For once in his life, Strife wasn’t thinking about a million things at once. When he went into work the next morning, his mind was quiet. Parv, on the other hand, wore a smile from the second they woke up next to each other and it only got bigger as they arrived at the store. He couldn’t help but smile too whenever Parv glanced over at him.

 

He didn’t even think about the previous night. At the time, a part of him thought he’d regret it the next morning, but when he had woken up, everything felt right. Then he had rolled his eyes on himself at how cheesy that sounded. When you wake up to Parv’s arm wrapped around you, face nuzzled into your chest, you can’t really complain.

 

When they arrived, Jenny looked over at them, obviously suspicious that both of them were entering at the same time. Her eyes only narrowed further when she noticed Parv wearing one of Strife’s shirts and a tie for some reason; he could see the gears in her head turning but she didn’t say anything right off the bat; not until they greeted each other.

 

“So how was your night with Lexa?” Parv asked, eyes flashing, “Did you score?”

 

Jenny’s hair was down and in her face, so strife couldn’t see if she blushed or not, “I had a nice time.”

 

“Mhmm, so did we.” Parv replied, suddenly turning his mischief filled eyes on strife.

 

This caught Jenny’s attention. Apparently this had been the conversation she had been waiting for but didn’t want to bring up first.

 

“Oh?” She mused, “Details, please. Did you do the do?”

 

Strife frowned, “What?”

 

Jenny grinned, “Did you thread the needle?” She suggested, “Hide the salami?” At that one, Parv started laughing but Strife just looked lost, “Ride the broomstick?”

 

“What are you talking about?” 

 

Parv looked over at him, “She wants to know if we had sex.”

 

He felt his face go warm.

“The night was eventful, but I’m afraid we can’t tell you that.” Parv told her before she could call Strife out for blushing.

 

She stared at Strife for a moment as if to read his thoughts, but he kept his expression neutral until she looked away at Parv, tilting her head. He was still smiling though, so she could probably piece it together. Spent Valentines day together, walked in together, Parv wearing his clothes… the look on her face showed that she assumed, but needed confirmation.

 

“You smell like him.” She told Parv.

 

He grinned, “I bet I do.”

 

Strife huffed, not allowing himself to blush again. Jenny’s eyes just widened.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She looked between them both, “Did you, or did you not sleep together?”

 

Parv shrugged, “Well, he only has one bed so we sure did sleep.”

 

Jenny almost looked frustrated. She was so close to the answer she wanted, yet so far. Strife was content on letting him do all the talking, because she never knew if he was being serious or not, especially on topics like these.

 

“Keeping it esoteric.” He mumbled

 

“I don’t even know what that means.” She said.

 

“Exactly.”

 

He wandered away into his office as Jenny continued to pester Parv for information, but he just started teasing her about her night, suggesting that they trade stories which she was still flustered about. Strife stretched as entered, not really sure if he felt like doing any work or not. It was sunday, and they didn’t even have to be here. It was just routine.

 

“Knock knock.”

 

He turned around and leaned against his desk, Parv was standing in the doorway with his hands on his pockets and a warm smile lighting up his face.

 

“You’re not trying to get away from me now, are you?”

 

“You?” He mused, “Never.”

 

At the sarcasm, Parv rolled his eyes, then looked over his shoulder to see Jenny leading a customer towards the back of the store, explaining something as she went. Upon returning his gaze back to Strife, he tilted his head. After pausing for a moment, Strife smiled back and leaned forward, pulling Parv forward by the tie he was wearing.

 

“I don’t think I like you wearing my clothes.” He murmured.

 

Parv wrapped his arms around Strife’s shoulders and grinned, “I can take them off, if you want.”

 

Strife sighed, “Somehow you never cease to amaze me.”

 

“Well, I’m full of surprises.”

 

“You sure are, Parvis.”


	3. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Halloween just around the corner, the season was in the air and Parv was feeling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! The last part of the main holidays of parvill fics! Just a warning there's smut this time near the end :0

With Halloween just around the corner, the season was in the air and Parv was feeling it.

He inhaled happily, stepping out into the brisk, cool, autumn air. It was the twenty fifth of October, but with each passing day since before the month even started, the smell of pumpkin pies, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin seeds, were everywhere. Everywhere you looked there was a pumpkin, everything you ate had a pumpkin flavored counterpart - it was a bad time for grumpy anti-fun people.

Grinning, he jogged down the sidewalk, giving each passerby a half-attempt at a friendly greeting but didn’t slow for their response. He earned a lot of strange looks; assuming they were just wondering why he was running, or just eyeing his black long-sleeve with the image of a cat emerging from a orange pumpkin's mouth. Probably both.

As he rounded a corner, he maneuvered around several people, careful not to run into anyone. He was glad it wasn’t a weekday where people had coffee that could easily be spilled over their fancy suits. Last week was a disaster. Putting the thought out of his mind, he sped up his pace slightly, knowing he was almost at his destination. It was an emergency.

Parv hurried across the empty street and headed farther uptown, trying not to run out of breath after only a few minutes. Seeing as most of the stores were closed, the sidewalks were spacious and only had a handful of people but still he found ways to almost run into them. Finally, he started to slow down as he approached stoplights, but almost slammed into someone rounding another corner.

“Jesus, Parv!” Jenny exclaimed, barely stepping out of the way in time after letting out a surprised squeal, “How did you-”

He grinned, leaning against the wall, “-get here so fast?” He finished, catching his breath, “Well, it was an emergency.” 

Jenny rubbed her hands down her face, “Parv..” With a shake of her head, she sighed loudly and then gave him an exasperated look, “If that’s an emergency to you, I’d hate to know what danger is.”

“You don’t have a Halloween costume!” He exclaimed too loudly, getting raised eyebrows from a short, plump woman walking by. “And Halloween is a week away.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way, “You didn’t let me finish; I’m probably not going out this year. I’m too old.”

Parv’s eyes widened, “Too old? No one asks for age,” He eyed her over, “and seeing as how you look twelve, you should be good.”

“Listen here, you son of a-”

She was interrupted by her phone ringing. Pulling it out with a glare, she eyed the screen for a moment before relaxing, face melting into a warm smile. Parv winked at her, knowing exactly who it was and sighed as she turned around to greet Lexa. Eyes flickering upwards, he admired the grey clouds; not quite dark enough for rain, yet light enough to add to the autumn atmosphere. 

Jenny gestured him to follow and he bounced right along, half-listening to her conversation, half-listening to the world around them. He caught pieces of Lexa’s voice on the other end like sounds fun… vacation time… aw, c’mon… worth it! Parv had no idea what they were planning, but going by Jenny’s constant giggling, it had to be fun.

They approached the shopping district; larger shops of all shapes and sizes on either side of the street, some with their own apartments above. Picking up the pace, Parv directed them towards the large, brick building, separate wings stretching out which took up most of the street. There was a long stretch of concrete stairs leading up to the several doors; the words ‘city mall’ sitting above them.

Just as Jenny ended the conversation, they hopped up the stairs and he held open the door while mouthing m’lady, which made her roll her eyes. The cool, indoor air hit them immediately and Parv shivered, glad he was wearing a long sleeve. The entrance had a map of the building with palm trees on either side, the white marble hallway lined with benches.

“So.” Jenny said, brushing her hands on her pants after putting her phone away, “What have you got in mind?”

Parv glanced over to the man walking by, reeking of Chinese food, then turned his undivided attention to Jenny who was already staring at him expectantly, “Patience.”

“I know how you dress yourself.” She reminded him, then gestured to his shirt, “Will’s gonna have a field day with that one.”

He smiled, “I picked it out for him. You think he’ll like it?”

Jenny snorted, “Maybe it will be the one to finally give him a stroke. That seems to be your goal.”

Still smiling, he turned away to look in front of him; they had reached the center of the mall where the hallway opened up to a large dome shaped area; the skylight allowing the light in. A fountain as grey as the clouds sat in the center of the circle shaped room, two escalators on either side leading up to the second floor. 

“C’mon!” He tugged on her arm, leading Jenny over to the escalators.

As they ascended, Parv noticed a baby being held by the person in front of him, staring at him. It’s wide, blue eyes were unblinking, watching him with the same curiosity all babies have. He simply stuck out his tongue and in turn, it reached out for him, but came nowhere close. Parv made a fart noise with his mouth, making them both giggle as they reached the top.

He gave the baby a small wave as the two of them headed in the opposite direction; towards a shop that's main purpose was selling stuff according to season or holiday. Since august, it had been filled to the brim with Halloween decorations, costumes and even food. Truth be told, he hadn’t even found a costume, because there were so many options.

“If this shopping trip turns out like Easter, I swear..” Jenny mumbled as they approached the glass doors, covered with pumpkin stickers.

Parv grinned, opening the door, “But that was fun.” 

Jenny rolled her eyes, walking past him, “In your dreams, rabbit boy.”

“Hey!” He called, following her in, “It was a bunny.”

“Is there a difference?”

Parv jeered, “Is there a difference? Bunnies are cute; they’re pets! Rabbits are significantly less cute.”

“Wow, Parv, I didn’t know you were a rabbit.” Jenny gasped.

He scoffed, reaching over to grab a pumpkin plushie to throw but she was already taking off into the store with a laugh.

 

Tossing the plushie up into the air as he headed down the street the next day, he sighed up at the sky which had decided to stay the same bleary gray as before - the thought worried him; would it rain on Halloween? He had endured several past occasions where it had rained while he was going out - not many people answered the door, not many people were out.

Parv grinned as he approached the oh-so-familiar Strife Solutions building, orange and black tinsel hanging from the windows and a single pumpkin sitting on one of the window sills. He knew Will would never go all out, but at least he started somewhere. With one last toss, Parv grabbed it and opened the door, signaling the bell he had heard who knows how many times by now.

Over at the counter, Jenny smiled and waved at him, but his eyes fell on Strife, whose back was to him. Biting back the smile, Parv quickly walked forward, careful to be quiet even though he was sure it wouldn’t matter much. Jenny noticed his stealthy approach but just rolled her eyes and went back to what she was reading. 

Parv reached Strife, leaned into him and quickly put his hands over the others eyes, “Guess who.”

He heard and felt Strife sigh, “I guess Parvis.”

Rolling his eyes, Parv uncovered the others eyes and leaned into him, wrapping his own arms around Strife’s shoulders with a sigh, “You’re no fun.”

“Yes, I’ve been told.”

Smiling smugly, he nuzzled his cheek into Strife’s neck, then glanced over at Jenny who was standing there with her arms now crossed.

“You two are so adorable it’s gross.”

In response, sadly, Strife shrugged parv off and mumbled something to Jenny which only seemed to make her smirk knowingly. With butterflies still in his stomach from the intimacy, Parv sauntered over to the glass counter top, eyeing the figurine of what seemed to be a child covered with a sheet, pretending to be a ghost. He glanced up at Jenny, but she nodded at Strife.

The thought made Parv buzz in excitement; lately, the other had been putting up holiday decorations on his own discretion, no outside influence needed. Hell, he even allowed normal decorations (Jenny was thrilled to find she could bring scented candles; but only a handful) which mainly consisted of a ‘welcome’ place mat, some empty picture frames and random figurines.

“Did you two have fun yesterday?” Strife asked, turning to face them.

He caught the others eye, “We drank pumpkin flavored hot chocolate and gossiped like a regular pair of teenage girls.”

“Mhm, I’m so sorry I couldn’t join you two then.” Strife responded, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Flashing him a goofy grin, Parv tilted his head, “We managed to have fun without you, somehow. I know how you just love large crowds and shopping.”

Strife raised his eyebrows at the returned sarcasm, “If we get a repeat of Easter, I never want to see you again.”

His grin stretched so big his cheeks started to ache, “Oh yes, what a terrible tragedy that was.”

“I swear, Parvis.” Strife replied

Jenny giggled and Parv sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. She had offered to cut it no less than a billion times, but he always denied. He found that, a while back having longer hair served a more mischievous purpose.. he felt his lips twitch in a smirk but quickly concealed it when the both of them looked his way.

“What are you scheming over there?” Jenny questioned, leaning forward on the counter.

Parv smiled innocently, “Just thinking about how we still have to find you a costume.”

“Funny, coming from the person who doesn't have one either.”

Strife eyed the both of them in hidden amusement, “So you got her to join your bandwagon, huh?”

“Yup. And so will you.” Parv told him.

“If you think you’re going to get me into a costume-” 

“When I get you into a costume,” Parv corrected him, holding up a hand. Strife narrowed his eyes but the amusement was still there, “The three of us will be the best dressed halloweeners in town.”

Jenny sighed, “You’re certainly a wiener, alright.”

Parv hummed, "So what do you think, Jenny? Should he be a ghost?"

“Halloween ghosts are fun.” She agreed.

“Ghosts certainly are not fun.” Strife argued, “They’re annoying and known for possessing people.”

Parv modded, “Mm.” His gaze flickered over the other, “And this holiday season, I guarantee it won’t be the ghosts that are inside of you.”

In an attempt to not laugh, Jenny choked on the coffee she had just taken a sip of, while Strife tried not to look taken back by the blatant innuendo.

“Maybe he can be a witch,” Jenny offered once she had calmed down, “He’s grumpy enough.”

Parv was about to reply, but Strife apparently thought of a better comeback right off the bat, and he wasn’t expecting it.

“I think Parv can be one,” He mused casually, “Either way, they’ll both end up riding wood.”

Parv felt his face immediately get hot while Jenny started laughing again. Strife met his eyes and smirked, which only made him blush more - that definitely wasn’t the sort of reply he had been expecting especially from Strife of all people. 

“I’d probably be a vampire,” Parv corrected him, still blushing, “Based on my sucking abilities.”

This time, Strife’s face went red which sent a twinge of satisfaction through Parv.

“Confident in yourself?” He replied, clearing his throat.

Parv flashed him a devious grin, “Only one way to find out.”

With both of them blushing and flustered, Jenny finally decided to step in, clearly uninterested in hearing about what they did behind closed doors.

“Okay, boys, can we not?” She interrupted, “I don’t need to hear this.”

“Yeah, we gotta protect the children.” Parv shuffled over and covered Jenny’s ears, “Her delicate little mind is too fragile.”

She frowned, “Children? I’m twenty one! You're not even that much older than me-"

"Shh, Jenny, you're like nine."

Before she could come up with a response, the bell rang signaling the front door opening; Parv and Jenny looked over at the same time, spotting Lexa together. She beamed at them, smile almost as bright as her blonde hair which was braided down her back, a few tufts of bangs in her face. Her gaze settled on Parv, who simply smiled, then swept across the room and landed on Jenny.

“Jenny, beautiful as always.”

Parv glanced over to his friend, who returned the smile, “I could say the same about you.”

He made a gagging noise, making both girls look at him; Lexa in amusement and Jenny with narrowed eyes, but he giggled. Yet he simply grabbed his jacket from the counter and put it on; Lexa had asked the three to do coffee - Strife refusing because he was ‘extremely busy’ and ‘had to get his work done’. Boring. Parv glanced over at Strife who met his gaze, but it was clear his answer remained unchanged.

“Cya boss man.” Parv waved, ignoring the urge to kiss the other goodbye instead. Would that be too forward? Was Strife expecting it? Casting a glance back over at the other, he tilted his head but Strife just gave a small smile. He didn’t seem like a goodbye-even-though-I’ll-be-gone-twenty-minutes-kiss kinda guy. Then again, he hadn't seemed like a guy who would agree to make-out in his office.

Parv smiled.

The three of them left the store, shouting their goodbyes. The cool, brisk air made Parv shiver and zip up his jacket but he sped up the pace to keep up with the other two. As he listened to the girls gossip, he let his mind wander back to planning. Even if he couldn’t get Strife to go trick-or-treating with him, they could still have a party, go to a haunted house, watch scary movies and eat candy non-stop. 

Was Strife a candy eater? Hm. He seemed like the type who would be a dentist's best friend. Well, that would just be another thing to change. Parv glanced up, a smile forming on his face as he added ‘get more candy’ to his to-do list. Ahead of him, he heard Jenny mention something about a party she was planning and he wanted to ask about it, but decided not to.

Quickly crossing the vacant road, they headed into the corner coffee shop; the clear windows lining one side of the building revealed that barely anyone was in there. With a smile, Parv hurried infront of them so he could open the glass door and gesture them inside, both girls giggling as they passed and entered the heated interior. The barista noticed them and gave a quick wave. 

“So, Parv,” Lexa started, glancing over at him once they had found a seat next to the window, “Jen and I were talking about having a Halloween party - at Strife Solutions, no less.”

Parv’s eyes lit up, “I like the sound of that.” Though he eyed the two of them, “Why are you saying it like that? Don’t tell me you already have everything planned.”

Laughing, Jenny ran a hand through her hair, “Actually, yes.” She snuck a glance over at Lexa, then back over at him, “We know what we’re doing. But we still need you for something..”

“Oh?” He mused, leaning forward, “Do tell.”

“On Halloween,” Jenny told him, “We need to set up in the store and we need Strife out. So we need you to.. distract him for us.”

Parv’s smile turned into a grin, “Mmm, I think I can manage that.”

Jenny rolled her eyes and Lexa giggled; both girls flashed each other a knowing look, which amused Parv through he didn’t say anything.

“It’ll take us two, maybe three hours to set up.” Lexa explained, “Can you manage that?”

“That depends.” Parv told them, still grinning, “Do you care how late we are?”

“Parv!” Jenny scolded and he started laughing, “Behave!”

The three of them started cracking up, getting a few odd looks from the other patrons, but managed to calm themselves down. Still smiling, Parv glanced out the window, watching people pass as his brain went to work with numerous ideas. Strife would agree to go for coffee, but he wouldn’t stay there for three hours; and if Parv suggested skipping work that day, Strife would have a stroke.

He wasn’t a bad actor, but he was a bad liar. If something excited him, he’d burst at the seams trying not to tell anyone. Yet, he was sure he could put his talents to good use and seduce the pants (metaphorically or not) off Strife. That’s what the girls assumed he was going to do, anyway. Hell, he didn’t want to disappoint. 

“Speaking of your boyfriend,” Lexa started, taking a sip of her drink, “Have you found him a costume?”

Parv sighed, “I’m still looking for something I can get him without him wanting to immediately kill me.” He paused, then blinked as her words fully registered, “Wait, he’s not my boyfriend, though.”

“I called him your boyfriend and that wasn’t even the first thing you responded to.” Lexa told him, smile on her face, “Which means.. you thought he was, for even a small second.”

Parv felt his face go warm, though he hoped it wasn’t noticeable, “Well, he’s not.. I don’t think.”

“Of course he’s not.” She responded, rolling her eyes, “You go on dates, kiss occasionally, cuddle in the back room, show up late together as friends, right?”

The heat continued to spread over his face, “Y’know.. I really don’t think you two are the best people to be lecturing me on knowing if I’m dating someone or not.”

Lexa’s smile turned as bright as her hair, but Jenny gained a sudden interest on the bowl with packs of sugar in it. Parv let himself smile triumphantly. He didn’t say anything else, because they knew it was true. No one, besides him, was better at dodging a subject like this than them. Jenny got up from the booth, mumbling about how she was going to the restroom, so Parv discreetly pulled out his phone.

do you miss me yet

He honestly wasn’t expecting a reply right away, but he felt satisfied when the phone buzzed.

Believe me, I’m counting the seconds.  
don’t get too lonely  
Yeah, I don’t know how I’ll ever entertain myself.  
i could think of a few ways  
what would we be doing if i were there ;)))  
I cannot believe you’re trying to sext me, Parvis.

He giggled, earning an amused stare from Lexa. Parv ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the cafe; no one had left since they arrived, but they weren’t paying attention to their table anymore. He turned his attention back to his phone as he shot back a reply.

you’re just saying that bc i totally got you hot and bothered  
True. Nothing turns me on faster than horrible grammar and winking emoticons.  
;)))))))))  
that do anything for ya?  
Unbelievable.  
wait hold on i’ll try something  
Salutations my companion, doesn't this intelligent, intuitive, wide range vocabulary just impress you to the umpteenth degree?  
Wow, how long did it take you to google what those words meant?

He grinned to himself, almost proud that he knew what all of them meant. Though, there’d be no point in pointing out that fact. Parv glanced up to see Jenny slide back into the booth, then welcomed her back but she just eyed his phone.

“Bored of us already?” She asked.

“Of you? Never.”

She sighed and they continued to drink and talk after Parv told the other he’d be back soon along with numerous winking emoticons. The two got into their party discussion, but lowered their voices like they were afraid Strife would somehow burst through the window and catch them in the act. It wasn’t going to be big - Strife would have an aneurysm. They’d keep it small.

Parv was itching to help. He loved decorating, especially for Halloween. But there’s be no arguing with these two so he had to trust they knew what they were doing. He had been charged with a far more important task anyway. He bit his lip to hold back the smile he felt coming at the thought - though Strife wouldn’t easily fall for his attempts to lure him out of the shop. He sighed. He’d think of something.

 

Back at the shop, Parv was sitting on the stool, spinning in place while Strife and Jenny dealt with a customer - since Christmas, there had been more people in here. Over time, he noticed how much Strife’s mood towards everything and everyone had changed. He had become more of a people person, getting annoyed by the small things less often and even smiling way more. It was to see, and he often got comments like ‘you’ve really changed him’ and ‘he’s much nicer because of you’.

Parv let himself smile, proud that he could cause such an effect on someone. Not that Strife would admit it, of course. His eyes followed the other across the store, who was calmly correcting an elder lady who was being very insistent that he was her grandson. He thought about helping, but it seemed like the boss man had it all under control. Instead, his eyes flickered to the woman who had just entered holding a baby, looking slightly frustrated.

“Excuse me,” She walked over to him, “Do you work here?”

“No, but I might as well.” He replied. She flashed him a confused look, so he sighed, “No, though can I help with anything?”

The woman looked over her shoulder, paused, then glanced back at him, “I just need to speak with an employee.. can you hold Charlie for a minute?” She nodded at the baby in her arms.

Parv’s eyes lit up, “Sure!” He took the baby from her with ease - she, charlie, stared at him with wide-eyed wonder as the woman turned to walk over to Jenny. 

He expected the baby to start crying in the absence of her mother, but she simply reached up and put her little hands on Parv’s face, humming thoughtfully. Parv grinned, shifting his grip on the toddler as he held the kid closer to him. Charlie was still staring at him, unblinking, blue eyes shining in amazement like Parv was the first human being she had ever seen. When Parv shifted in the stool, it spun sideways and the baby blinked, smiling at him.

“Charlie, huh?” He mused, “I’m Parv.”

“..Mama?”

He laughed, “No, not quite. She’ll be back soon.”

She stared at him, eyes wide.

“This is how adults have fun,” Parv told Charlie, using his legs to spin the chair around. The baby started to giggle, and Parv continued to grin at the sound, “Well.. some, at least. Most are boring.” He stopped the chair and removed one of the babies hands from his face, “You see that guy over there?” Parv slowly pointed across the room, where strife was. She followed his gaze, “He’s boring. He wants to get rid of the spinny chair. Can you believe that?”

Charlie looked back at Parv with the same awe-struck expression, mouth hanging open.

“We should start a protest.” Parv said, “Maybe you can convince him not to throw it out.”

She made an incoherent noise, which Parv took as agreement. He slipped off the chair, shifting the toddler in his arms as he stood to slowly walk over to the window. Charlie finally looked away from him to peek out the window as well - she looked absolutely mesmerized by the passing cars, the wandering people, she even pointed at the birds who landed on the mailbox on the sidewalk. Parv smiled, gently rocking himself and the kid while he hummed, mainly to himself. 

After a moment, he realized Charlie wasn’t staring out the window anymore - her little eyes were back on Parv again. Parv stuck out his tongue, which she tried to grab with one hand but froze in mid-grab when he withdrew his tongue back into his mouth. Charlie looked as if her small mind had just imploded from the magic she just witnessed. Parv laughed again, glancing out the window. Two women were chatting as they passed - one laughed and the other looked almost offended, then started laughing too.

“Something I should be concerned about?”

Parv turned around to see Strife standing there, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in amusement. He grinned, shaking the baby slightly,

“I didn’t steal her, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Parv assured him, “Cute, isn’t she?”

Strife looked at the kid in his arms; Charlie’s eyes were now plastered on him. eyes wide again like she was amazed at all the people. Parv’s eyes flickered over to the mother, who Jenny was now directing towards the back of the store, then back at the toddler. The smiled remained on his face - kids were adorable, he loved them. Maybe it was because they were pretty similar, maybe it was because he admired how carefree they were, maybe it was because he missed being one - he wasn’t sure.

“Adorable.” Strife decided.

Charlie shifted in his arms, leaning away like she wanted to go to someone else. Parv was almost disappointed until he noticed she was reaching for Strife, making grabbing motions with her hands.

“You wanna go see Mr. scary boss man?” He mumbled, eyes flickering to the other.

Strife frowned, “I told you, I don’t like kids.”

Parv gasped, looking back down at Charlie, “Y’hear that? He doesn't like kids. What’dya say to that?”

She continued reaching towards Strife, though this time she made a distressed noise like she was really determined on going to the other. Parv grinned, looking at him as well. Strife huffed loudly and kept his arms crossed, but made no move forward until Charlie made a louder noise like she was going to cry. Finally, he pursed his lips and stepped forward - Parv eagerly held out the child for him to take, which he did though looked annoyed

Parv bounced on the spot, grinning from ear to ear as Strife adjusted his hold on the kid, trying to angle her away from his own body but Charlie kept trying to squirm around with a giggle. 

“Dada?”

Strife huffed, “God, I hope not.”

Parv laughed, watching charlie bounce in Strife’s arms, letting out a string of noises that could only be translated as baby excitement. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the scene in front of him; the other claimed to not like kids yet he looked adorable with them. He glanced over into the store, but the mother was still nowhere to be seen - His eyes flicked back over to Strife, who was giving Charlie that same annoyed expression he always gave Parv.

“What am I supposed to do with it?” Strife grumbled, narrowing his eyes when Charlie grabbed his nose again.

“Her,” Parv corrected, “Have you never been near a baby before?”

“I’ve never-” Charlie started pulling at his cheeks, “-held one before. This is exactly why.”

Parv tilted his head, “You should more often. It’s adorable.”

Strife narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He turned his attention back to the kid in his arms, who was now staring back at him in wide-eyed, mouth hanging open, awe as if just noticing he was there too. They stared at each other for a moment before Charlie started playing with the buttons on Strife’s waistcoat, pulling and them and bouncing like she was frustrated it wasn’t coming off. She paused, looked down at her own tiny, green jacket and touched one of the buttons on it.

She looked back up at Strife, one hand on her own button with the other hand still pulling at Strife’s, and smiled like it was the most important discovery of her life. She made a loud, but happy noise and started to bounce which just made Parv laugh again. Charlie finally decided to lean into Strife’s chest, which obviously surprised him because he blinked and looked over at Parv, completely lost. Parv gave him two thumbs up as Charlie nuzzled her head into his neck.

He shifted his hold on Charlie, one arm resting under her while he slowly brought the other up to rest on her back, awkwardly patting it a few times. Parv’s cheeks were starting to ache he was grinning so hard; he leaned against the wall, watching as Strife even started rocking her gently. The other still looked confused, but his eyes were still on her - Parv couldn’t be certain, but he was sure Charlie had started to fall asleep and he couldn’t think of anything more adorable.

“I see she’s got some fans”

Parv looked over to see the mother standing there again, Jenny at her side. She was smiling, eyes filled with such genuine joy, meanwhile Jenny was staring at them both with wide eyes - she glanced at Parv, clearly confused, but didn’t say anything. In turn, Strife looked extremely flustered like he was just caught doing something he shouldn’t be.

“You seem good with kids, she even fell asleep on you.” She smiled at him, looking like a, well, proud mother, “Do you have kids of your own?”

He laughed nervously, “They’re not really my..” He paused for a moment, looked over at Parv as he figured out his next words, “No, no kids.”

The woman continued to smile, “Any woman would be lucky to have you,” She held out her arms for Charlie, which he handed over. Her eyes flickered from him to Parv, “Or, whoever you decide to settle down with.”

Parv felt his face go warm at the assumption, but he forced himself to smile as the woman turned to thank Jenny once again, and head towards the exit. As soon as she left, he glanced over to Strife who was brushing himself off, but he looked up and caught the others eye. It could have been his mind playing tricks, but Parv was sure he saw the corners of the others mouth twitch as if he was going to smile back.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He mused, tilting his head.

In reply, Strife just shrugged but a faint smile crept onto his face as he turned away. He walked back across towards the store to his office, but Parv skipped after him. 

“I think you actually do like kids,” Parv sighed, “You can admit it!”

“Don’t push your luck, Parvis.” He replied.

Parv pouted, “You were so good with the baby, though.”

“That’s because I have to deal with you all the time.”

“Hey! Rude!”

Strife laughed in response, and vanished into his office. Stubborn, Parv hurried over and stood in the doorway, not intending to let the subject drop so easily. He watched the other pull a binder from one of his bookshelves and flip through it - Parv was surprised he could even find anything in this small, cluttered office. Right now it was a mess, when usually it was organised. 

“Y’know,” Parv started, walking into the office and picking up the nearest folder, “You seem like a kid-person.”

Strife glanced over with raised eyebrows, “What gave you that idea?”

“Easter.” He responded immediately, flipping through the folder, “With Jenny’s little sister? You remember that right, or have you repressed the memory from your mind?”

With a sigh, “Yes, Parvis. I’m aware. I was there.”

He continued grinning, but looked over at Strife who was leaning against his desk now, examining the contents of the original binder he had pulled from the shelf. Parv hummed thoughtfully at the thought of how well the last major holiday they spent together (although reluctantly with a lot of complaining on Strife’s part) went. They got along and behaved for the most part. 

“You’re such a kid person,” Parv told him, flipping the page. He had no idea what any of the numbers or words meant, but he pretended to be interested. “I’ve never seen you smile so much before.”

Strife walked over and took the folder from him, “A conversation for another time, perhaps.” He turned and put it back on the shelf “Definitely not right now.” 

Parv whined, “You’re just irritated because I’m right.”

“I’m not irritated.” He replied smoothly, “I’m just ignoring you.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am.”

“Oh? But you’re talking to me.” 

There was no reply as Strife smiled to himself and turned back towards his desk; he took a page from Parv’s book and started humming quietly. 

“I literally cannot believe this.” Parv said, sounding offended, “ You’re acting like me!” With still no reply, he pouted and crossed his arms, “You’re turning into your own worst nightmare, Will.” He paused, “Well, at least now you’d have a sense of humor and dashing good looks.”

Strife gave him a look, but still didn’t say anything. Instead, Parv walked forward and snuck his arms around the others waist, playfully nuzzling his face in the back of Strife’s neck who he felt sigh at his touch. They could very well change the subject.

“C’mon, don’t be like that strifeykins.” He mumbled, smiling when he heard Strife huff loudly at the unwanted nickname, “Pay attention to me.”

There was a sigh, but no words.

“You can’t ignore me forever..” He said, “We both know how well that works..”

At the last few words, he had snuck his fingers under Strife’s shirt. continuing to smile into his neck when he felt the other shiver at his touch. Parv was well aware the door to the office was wide open, but he liked the risk. At the very thought, he gently started rocking them and pressed his lips to the back of Strife’s neck, kissing it slowly as his fingers continued to roam.

Finally, “Parvis-”

“Ah,” Parv murmured, placing another kiss, “So he can speak.”

“This seems inappropriate, given the surroundings.” Strife replied, though his voice was as low as Parv’s.

Parv grinned, letting his fingers roam up farther, “I like being inappropriate.” He moved his mouth away from Strife’s neck, and instead spoke into his ear, “We’ve never done it in your office before, wouldn't that be exciting?” He heard Strife’s breath hitch, so he smiled smugly, “I bet you’d like the danger that came with it. Imagine bending me over your desk.”

“Jesus, Parv..” Strife breathed.

He grinned, “Ooh, did I just discover something? Tough scary boss man has a weakness.” He kissed Strife’s neck again, feeling him shiver, “Do you like the sound of that? Slamming me against your desk, having your way with me while I moan your name with the risk of people hearing?” He purred the words, “Because I’d be loud for you; moaning, begging, trying to get people to hear.”

He was sure Strife had stopped breathing by this point, and it only made Parv’s grin widen. So he did find a chink in Strife’s armor, and he was going to exploit the hell out of it. He was about to move his hands downwards, when suddenly he was being spun around, his lower back now pressed against the wooden desk as Strife held his hips. Parv’s breath caught in his throat, excited by the change in pace, and he grinned, reaching to cup Strife’s face in his hands.

“I think you do.” Parv pulled him forward slightly, glancing at his lips.

Without giving a reply, Strife licked his lips which Parv took as his cue to pull him forwards, connecting their lips in a needy kiss both of them had expected. Parv was quick to tangle his hands in his hair, while Strife tilted his head slightly to deepen it while pushing at Parv’s hips until he was sitting on the desk, positioned between his legs. The other started slowly caressing his thighs, making Parv shiver in anticipation, yet pulled away for air.

“Y’think we can get away with it?” He purred, eyes searching Strife’s.

Strife was giving him a half-lidded stare; it was clear he was considering it. The very fact that he had even hesitated sent a twinge of excitement though Parv - maybe he wasn’t so boring after all.

“As tempting as it sounds,” Strife murmured, lips almost touching, “Right now wouldn’t exactly be.. proper.”

Parv wrapped his arms around the others shoulders, “When is it ever?”

“Not right now,” Strife said again, though he grinned, “That doesn't mean never, with an offer like that.”

Giving a mischievous grin, he briefly to looked over Strife’s shoulder at the door; it wasn’t fully open, but someone could certainly peek in and get an eyeful. With that thought in mind, Parv pulled him back for another kiss, now getting fully into it. He unslung his arms and placed his hands on Strife’s neck, sliding them down until he was grabbing a handful of his shirt. He could be here forever, but he pulled away again when he heard the distant sound the door opening. 

“Not right now,” Parv echoed, “I hope I get to find out when ‘right now’ is..”

Strife gave him a knowing smile, but said nothing.

“Now c’mon, you’ve got a business to run.” Parv tilted his head, wanting nothing more than to kiss him again and do something with the tightness in his pants, “And you’re fooling around with me. How unprofessional.”

“Says the most unprofessional man I’ve ever met.” 

“First of all, rude.”

Rolling his eyes, Strife stepped backwards and pulled Parv off the desk with him, both of them still close enough to touch. Parv knew what he wanted to do, but instead he simply found himself thinking about what Lexa had told him about them being boyfriends. He didn’t think friends just casually talked dirty and made out in the workplace, but he didn’t know if they were actually.. a thing. This definitely wasn’t the right moment to bring it up. 

Sighing, he gave Strife a last look before shifting around him and heading towards the door, but not before pinching Strife’s butt for good measure. He grinned when he heard him make a surprised noise, but didn’t even look over his shoulder. Yeah, definitely a friend thing. No homo. He walked out of the office just as Jenny groaned loudly - a guy had just entered the store; his face sparked a memory, but it wasn’t until he grinned at the sight of Jenny that Parv remembered just who he was.

“Jenny!” He exclaimed, “Funny seeing you here.”

Jenny gave him a fake smile, “TJ. Long time no see.”

Parv slid back over to the counter, straightening out his shirt as Jenny glanced over at him. She raised her eyebrows with a look of disbelief, but then went back to the more pressing issue. He was sure he’d ask him about what happened later. Instead, Parv exhaled and watched TJ approach, wanting to listen to what happened but also ready to kick this guy all the way to the moon.

“You haven’t replied to my texts.” TJ pouted. He leaned against the glass counter and she took a step backwards, sitting on the stool, “I got worried.”

Jenny’s fake smile got bigger, though now she just liked she was in pain, “Haha, yeah. You know me. I’m just.. a busy bee.”

“The busiest.” Parv added helpfully. 

TJ ignored him, “That’s cool, as long as you’re not playing hard to get.” He winked at her.

She laughed uncomfortably, “Never started playing.”

Parv watched as he smiled, completely oblivious to her disinterest. He tapped his finger on the counter, eyes flickering to Jenny, unsure if she wanted to handle this or not. 

“So, down to the reason I’m here. There’s this Halloween party-” Jenny groaned, but he didn’t hear, “-so I brought you a costume. You’ll love it.”

He unslung his backpack and set it on the counter, reaching inside to pull out a plastic package which he handed to her. She examined it as he put on his backpack again, so Parv tilted his head to read the cover of it and almost laughed. It was one of those ‘sexy’ versions of an otherwise harmless costume. This one was a ghost. A ghost. How could you make a ghost sexy? The girl on the cover was just wearing a white bra with strips of fabric hanging from it, and a short, ripped, white skirt. 

Parv coughed loudly to hide the laugh he almost gave imagining Strife wearing it.

“It certainly is.. a thing.” Jenny told him, putting it back on the counter.

“You act like you don’t like it.” He frowned.

Jenny glanced over at Parv, pursing her lips. He straightened his stance, raising his eyebrows in a silent question but she just shook her head. Jenny took a deep breath as if mentally preparing herself, and Parv couldn't help but grin. 

“Okay TJ, here's the thing.” She stood suddenly, taking both boys off guard, “I don’t like you. I don’t want to date you.”

TJ blinked, taken aback for a moment. He rolled his eyes, “That’s not why I came here-”

“Yes it is.” She interrupted, “You’ve been flirting with me since last year. You’re not as sly as you think you are.”

Parv stood a little straighter, enjoying where this was going. He wanted to see Jenny rip this guy a new one, and that seemed to be exactly what she was revving up to do.

“Okay, you caught me.” His smile returned, “At least go on a date with me. I could show you a better time than,” He eyed Parv over, then rolled his eyes, “Romeo, over there.”

She huffed, “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’m sure you hear that often,.”

“Aw c’mon babe.” He leaned into the counter more, “No offense, but a girl like you doesn't have many options.”

Parv automatically felt himself ‘ooooh’ in silence, knowing Jenny wasn’t going to let him survive that. He was inclined to jump to her defense, but she made it clear she wanted to handle this. He glanced over briefly when Strife appeared at his side, clearly interested in what was going on. Parv winked, but Strife eyed him for a second, before looking away.

“I don’t have many options? They all probably ran away because they think I hang with you.” She responded, and Parv bit back his grin, “Your fedora speaks for itself.”

TJ’s smile faltered, but he tried to remain confident, “You’re feisty, I like that. Let’s blow this Popsicle stand.”

“I don’t think you understand.” She told, stepping forwards, “You’re gross and I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”

The smile dropped off his face, “So what you’re saying, is..?”

Jenny planted both hands on the counter and leaned towards him with an annoyed expression. TJ backed up slightly, but he was probably the type of guy who’d think she was leaning in for a kiss.

“Here’s the thing, TJ.” She told him, “You’re a fuckboy.” 

Parv burst out laughing, earning an annoyed look from TJ. He looked taken back by her sudden aggressiveness, as if he did nothing to bring it on, but he simply narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back on Jenny, who hadn’t backed down. He heard Strife mutter ‘fuckboy?’ and narrow his eyes in confusion.

He scoffed, “What’s the real reason? You obviously don’t have a boyfriend otherwise-” 

“I have a girlfriend.” Jenny blurted out

Parv felt just as surprised as TJ looked. He raised his eyebrows in amusement as Jenny, then his gaze flickered to TJ who was speechless, obviously not expecting that answer. Parv tilted his head to the side; it certainly didn’t seem that way at the cafe, so he figured she was just trying to get herself out of the situation. He glanced over to Strife who was smiling in amusement, arms crossed. They made eye contact but looked away seconds later.

“Yeah, because I haven’t heard that excuse before.” TJ rolled his eyes.

“I’d recommend taking a hint.”

He ignored her, “So. Where is this so-called girlfriend of yours? In dream land?”

As if on cue, the door opened. Jenny, Parv and Strife all looked towards it at the same time, but TJ was oblivious. The newcomer was lexa, though she looked confused.

“Hi all,” She started, “I hope I’m not a bother but I think I left my phone here.”

Fast as lightning, Jenny snatched something off the counter and flew around both it and TJ and was at Lexa’s side in seconds. Parv cocked his head in amusement, watching the scene in front of him unfold. He flickered his gaze to Strife, who looked confused ever since Jenny said the word fuckboy, like he was still trying to figure out what it meant. Parv rolled his eyes. 

”Here you go.” Jenny smiled with genuine happiness, unlike how she smiled at TJ, “I’m glad you came back, actually..” She looked over at TJ who had since turned to face them, “This is.. my girlfriend.”

Lexa’s eyes snapped to her like she had just been stung, clearly confused and very caught off guard by the choice of words, but she bit her lip in a smile when Jenny flashed her a look. Parv hoped Strife would kick TJ out, but he also wanted to see how this entire thing was going to go down; one look at Strife and it was clear he was thinking the same thing, though he looked deep in thought.

“And thank god for that.” Lexa filled in, reaching over to grab Jenny’s hand which made her blush, “I came to get my phone. Can’t plan for our date tonight without it.”

She handed Lexa the phone, still smiling, “Surprise date, apparently. You didn’t tell me”

With a smile of her own, Lexa kissed Jenny’s cheek, “You know I like surprising you, Jen.”

Jenny’s face went as red as Strife’s dress shirt; she opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out which made Parv laugh again. 

“Now, back to this creep who’s flirting with you,” She turned an accusing stare on TJ, who looked slightly embarrassed but mainly angry, “Are we going to have a problem?”

He crossed his arms, but didn’t say anything.

“I’d prefer if you left.” Jenny added.

TJ sneered, “You can’t make me.”

Parv glanced over as Strife stepped forwards, “Maybe not, but I can.” He enjoyed it when Strife got all assertive; not that he would admit it out loud, but he found it hot. He watched as the other crossed his arms too, “I believe an employee asked you to leave. I’d recommend listening.”

The two of them had a stare-off, until finally TJ looked away and stormed through the store and out the door without a word. Parv sighed in relief; hopefully he wouldn't be back any time soon. If they were lucky, he wouldn’t be back at all. He glanced over as Strife turned back to face him, looking oddly amused with himself. 

“So.” Lexa spoke up, peering at Jenny, “When did we become official?”

Jenny’s eyes went wide, “I-I don’t? Um..” She stammered, face getting more red, “Y-you..”

Lexa laughed, “Relax, we’ve got plenty of time to talk on our date tonight.” She grinned, “I’ll come get you when you’re done work, kay?”

She sputtered a response, but just ended up waving as Lexa exited the store too. Parv pursed his lips in thought; that almost seemed too easy. His eyes were on Strife again, thoughts going back to the conversation he and the girls had in the cafe - Parv had been meaning to talk to the other ever since, maybe finally figure out what was going on between them. 

He knew he wasn’t a serious person, so he definitely wouldn't be good with the words he wanted to say. Parv didn’t even have an idea of what he wanted to say. Or should. Or if it was even a good idea. ‘Hey, so, funny question actually. Are we dating?’ might be too blunt, but it would get the question out there. What if he asked Strife out? Would he think that was too childish? Ugh. Again, maybe it wasn’t the best time right after their intense moment ten minutes ago.

Blinking out of his trance, he noticed Strife was staring at him. Now. Should he ask now? No. It could wait until they were alone. Could it? Yeah, not right now. Instead of saying anything, Parv just smiled like an idiot and gave him a thumbs up.He had absolutely no idea what that meant, and apparently neither did Strife because he tilted his head in confused amusement. 

“Sooo, Jenny..” Parv started, pushing himself away from the counter, “Looks like you scored.”

Jenny looked completely lost, “Um, gosh, I was really mean, wasn’t I?”

“Nah, he deserved it.” Parv assured her, leaning over the counter to grab the package, “Look, now we don’t have to buy you a costume.”

Strife sighed, “She wouldn’t be caught dead in that.”

“Not even for your girlfriend?” Parv teased.

Jenny covered her face and squeaked, making him laugh. Maybe he shouldn’t be one to talk, but it was fun to bug her. She simply walked back around the counter and sat at the stool, resting her head in her arms on the glass. with a long groan. 

“Wow,” Parv grinned, “I can’t fucking believe Jenny’s dead.”

“I’m not dead, you idiot.”

Parv sighed, wiping a fictional tear from his eye, “Sometimes I can still hear her voice.”

In reply, she just groaned in frustration again so he walked over to the counter and sat down on it with a sigh. When a customer came in the door, she took that as her cue to shoot to her feet and be done with this conversation, leaving Parv alone with Strife once again. Both of them looked at the other with amused smiles, and he leaned back on the counter.

“Hey there stranger, come here often?” Parv smiled.

Strife snorted, “Funny. I could ask you the same thing.”

Glancing down beside him, he picked up the pumpkin bobble head and examined it in his hands. It was one of the few knickknacks neither he nor Jenny had put there - Strife put decorations up without telling anyone, hoping they would go by unnoticed but Parv had an eye for these things. He held it up for them both to see.

“Maybe you should dress up as this on Saturday,” He mused, eyeing the suited figure wearing a pumpkin head, “You’ve got the same sense of style.”

“You’re still on about that?” Strife sighed, “Just find me something, instead.”

Parv’s eyes lit up, “Do you seriously trust me that much?”

“No,” He admitted, “But I’m sure you’d complain about anything I picked out.”

That was probably true. Parv’s mind immediately began to wander to what he could attempt to get Strife into - it’d have to be something simple. Maybe he’d just buy devil horns. He hummed in thought, knowing he had more than enough time to decide. Strife eyed him suspiciously, probably seeing the gears in his head turn, but didn’t say anything.

“We should also do something for Halloween.” Parv mused, “Watch scary movies? Pull a prank on Jenny? Haunted house?”

“None of those, preferably.” Strife replied.

He smiled, “What’s wrong, you scared?” He paused for a moment, then gasped, “You’re scared of something, aren’t you?”

Huffing in frustration, Strife crossed his arms, “Absolutely not.”

But Parv’s mind was already making up ideas. Was he scared of blood? The dark? People with knives? He narrowed his eyes, biting his lip in thought. He could ask Jenny. Would she know? Hmm, he wanted to figure it out on his own. Horror movie is is, then. There was tons of scary shit in those and he could gauge Strife’s reaction to each thing that happened. Or..

Parv grinned, “I guess we’re going to a haunted house.”

Strife blinked, “What?”

He shrugged while wearing an innocent smile, “You claim to not be afraid of anything. So let’s go to a haunted house on-” He thought about the party Jenny and Lexa were planning on the thirty first, “Halloween eve. I’ll even hold your hand if you get scared.”

“I don’t need anyone to hold my hand.” Though it sounded like he was accepting the challenge.

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Strife replied, sounding strangely determined.

Parv tilted his head, “Then it’s settled.” He rubbed his hands together, “It’s haunted house time, baby!”

The other rolled his eyes just as Jenny returned - she noticed the look on Parv’s face immediately, so she raised her eyebrows. He glanced from Strife to her and mouthed haunted house to which he’d elaborate further later. She simply laughed and vanished back into the store, so Parv returned his gaze to Strife and flashed him a friendly grin, knowing they were going to have fun. 

 

Parv went back to the shop with the realization neither he nor Jenny had found a costume, and Halloween was only a few days away. He could blame it on the fact that he was busy, but mainly he knew it was because he had absolutely no idea what he was going to dress up as. Sure, he had a million and a half ideas but couldn’t decide on one. There was no way in hell he couldn’t not dress; up, that would be the day the world ended.

He entered the shop before noon, knowing Strife wouldn’t be there yet so he could use that time to talk to Jenny about important matters. Glancing around, he noticed no one (besides her) was there, which was perfect. No distractions. Parv sighed, adjusting his coat as he walked over to the counter just as Jenny emerged from the back room in a hurry, visibly relaxing when she saw Parv instead of an actual customer. Lucky her.

“Parv, hi, he’s not here right now..”

He pouted, “Had It occurred to you that I might actually be here for you?”

Jenny grinned and rolled her eyes, “I’m flattered. I’m surprised, given you always ‘hang out’ with him. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

“Jenny, you’re like, nine.”

“I’m not putting up with this bullying again.” Jenny pouted, crossing her arms, “Sir, I’m afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the store.”

Parv tried not to smile, “Babe, why.” 

“Kiss my ass, Alex.”

Clutching his hand to his chest like he had been shot, Parv gasped, “Words hurt, Jen. Or should I say..” He grinned, thinking back to the full name he had seen a month and a half ago on some forms laying around Strife’s office.

“I’m going to kick you the the moon if you bring that up again.” She huffed.

“Whatever you say, Helena Jennifer Gilbert.” He said casually.

Jenny grabbed the nearest thing she could reach and threw it at him, but he ducked out of the way with a laugh as it clattered to the ground. Parv jumped over the counter like he was jumping into a trench as Jenny aimed something else, but she couldn’t throw without wrecking something important. In victory, Parv stood back up and stuck his tongue as she walked over, still clutching a small object in her hand. He didn’t doubt her ability to hit him with it.

“Kiss my entire ass.” She shot back, sounding bitter.

“Well hey, whatever you’re into, Helena.” He raised his arms in surrender, “I won’t kinkshame.”

She picked up the stress ball on the counter and threw it at his head, but it bounced off harmlessly. He laughed and even she cracked a smile, but still tried to look angry. Adorable. Walking back around the counter, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand before you kill me.” He smiled, “We still need costumes.”

“God..” She mumbled, “I don’t get paid enough to deal with you.”

“For you, I’m thinking Lara Croft,” Parv mused, ignoring her, “You’re both brunettes. And you want to kill me most of the time. You play video games, don’t you?”

Jenny sighed, “We’ll go after work.”

“Nice. How’s your party planning going with your girlfriend?” He asked a little too innocently.

“It’s-” She threw him a glare, “fine. I hear you’re going to a haunted house with your boyfriend.”

He rolled his eyes. Two could play this game, “That’s true. Want to tag along?”

“So I can watch the two of you scream like children?” 

“So that’s a yes?”

“Definitely.”

Smiling still, Parv unslung his arm from her shoulders then turned back around and happened to glance down at the waste bin, where he noticed the plastic package. A sudden idea formed in his head and the smile almost tore his face in half - he snatched it out of the bin, then turned back to Jenny who had noticed and raised her eyebrows. Surprise turned to irritation.

“If you think I’m wearing that-”

“Relax,” He grinned, “Follow me. I need the cover.”

He hurried to the back room, grin still on his face as Jenny followed with a confused expression. She had absolutely no idea what he had planned, and maybe that was a good thing. As soon as he stepped into the backroom, he started taking off his shirt which obviously took Jenny by surprise because she yelped in shock. He nearly ran into a box trying to get it over his head, but he turned around after crumpling it into a ball and throwing it to the side.

“Parv, I think this relationship is moving a little fast, don’t you?”

He rolled his eyes, “Just trust me, Jenny.”

She snorted.

After tossing his shirt to the nearby couch, he ripped open the packaging to the costume, both pieces of clothing falling to the floor. He felt Jenny’s eyes on him as he bent over to pick up the ‘costume’ that just seemed like a swimsuit. He held up the top, that was a snow white (or rather ghost-white) bikini with strips of fabric hanging off that he guessed would flutter as you walked, as if it somehow replicated a ghosts movement. 

He untied the strings to put it on over his head, knowing instantly it was three times too small for him, and probably too small for Jenny as well. Speaking of, he heard her laugh when she realized what he was doing, and seemed amused. Parv fiddled with the straps, trying to figure out how girls were even supposed to wear something like this. Finally, he managed to fit it - the strips of cloth hung down just below his bellybutton, so it looked almost like a crop top. 

“This looks like some pretentious art project.” Parv said, turning around to face her. He put his hands on his hips, “How do I look?”

Jenny raised her eyebrows, “You’d have to put the rest of it on to find out.”

He grinned and unbuttoned his jeans, so she squeaked in surprise and turned away while covering her eyes so he simply laughed. He changed as fast as possible - well, as fast he could with the complex puzzle they called a costume bottom. He nearly tripped over himself trying to fit in properly and heard one or two loose strips rip. He winced as one string went somewhere it definitely shouldn’t go, then glanced down at himself; it resembled a really short skirt. 

“This is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever worn.” He said, turning back around to face her but she was still facing the other direction.

“It can’t be that b-” She started as she turned around, then immediately slapped her hand over her eyes after getting an eyeful, “Jesus, never mind.”

He laughed, “It looked so much better on the model,” He glanced down at himself, “Ooh, nipslip.”

Jenny laughed again as he moved to adjust the clothing, not knowing how anyone in the world would ever want to willingly wear this in public. He moved and suddenly felt the cold air where there shouldn't be feeling air, and realized why Jenny had covered her eyes.

“There’s like, eighty percent dick out right now,” He told her, trying to adjust himself. Not that she needed to know, however.

“Ninety percent more than I ever want to see again.” She was still turned away with her hands over her eyes.

He laughed, “If I squat, the back string will be gone forever.”

“Okay! Jesus, Parv!” 

With another laugh, he looked around for his phone, tempted to take a picture and send it to Strife just to see what his reaction would be. He was about to voice this idea to Jenny, when he heard the front door open - Parv raised his eyebrows in amusement when she glanced back at him before peeking out the slightly-closed door. When she turned around with a grin, he knew who had just entered and he felt himself smile smugly. 

“Oh, Good morning Will,” She said, vanishing out the door

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Parv adjusted himself one last time before hurrying over to the door. He grinned and snuck out through the partially closed door and emerged back into the main room, where he noticed Strife immediately. Jenny had stopped to talk to him, so Parv hadn’t been noticed yet, but as soon as Strife went to take a drink of his coffee, he happened to glance over and almost immediately choke on the liquid.

Jenny had jumped out of the way with a laugh, and his grin never faltered as he watched Strife’s face turn a dark shade of red at the sight in front of him. Parv could only hope none of his valuables weren’t hanging out - well, at least not in front of Jenny. Strife coughed and wiped a hand down his face, his expression utterly flustered and taken off guard. He forced himself to look away, which only made Parv’s grin widen in satisfaction.

“I thought I sad no Easter repeats.” Strife cleared his throat, still blushing.

“This is way better,” Parv replied, striking a pose, “You like?”

He didn’t know it was possible, but Strife’s face went more red as he turned and looked back over as Parv took another step forward; his eyes scanned over Parv for the briefest of seconds before quickly heading over to the counter. 

“Aw, you’re adorable.” Parv cooed, “You’re blushing.”

“I certainly am not, Parvis.” Strife replied, voice cracking though he pretended not to hear, “You just took me by surprise.”

He cocked his head to the side, “Because I look so good?”

Strife didn’t reply and Jenny rolled her eyes, glancing at both of them before moving over to sit on the stool behind the counter.

“I’m sure I have a no shoes, no shirt, no service policy.” Strife muttered, clearly trying to keep his eyes off Parv’s revealing attire, “Jenny?”

She smiled, “Sorry boss, I can’t say that we do.”

Parv grinned, “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“At least put something on, you’ll give my customers a heart attack.” Strife told him, finally meeting his eyes and not letting his gaze wander.

“I might need a little help changing,” He said a little too innocently, “Besides, you’ve seen all of this before,” he added, gesturing to himself.

Strife’s gaze flickered over him again, probably a little longer than he had meant to. His face was still flushed, but it didn’t seem to be a sight worth complaining about. Parv sauntered forward, knowing the other was right with the heart attack this outfit would undoubtedly give anyone who walked through the front door, but he was having too much fun. He got close enough and angled himself around suddenly, knowing it would take strife by surprise, and touched his backside,

“How does my butt look?” He asked flirtily, “Good as usual?”

Jenny made a gagging noise, but Strife looked away again, the red color returning back into his cheeks. Parv giggled.

“Speechless, huh? Didn’t know I had that effect on you. You’re usually so loud.”

“Parvis.”

“Yes, Will?” He asked sweetly, “Something.. distracting you?”

After setting his coffee down, Strife ran both hands down his face, clearly trying to hide it while he regained his composure - if it was ever there at all. Just to tease him, Parv grinned and lifted up the top to flash him, but Strife just eyed him again and let out a long sigh, face returning to its usual color as long as Parv didn’t try anything else. If Strife knew any better, he shouldn’t hold his breath.

“You look less like a ghost and more like a stripper.” Jenny told him.

Parv beamed, “Y’hear that Will?” He grinned in mischief, “I can give you a lap dance, for a discount of course.”

Strife pulled out a few bills from his pocket, “How much do I have to pay you to leave?”

He winked “You couldn’t afford me.”

“Name your price.”

“Dinner tonight?” 

Strife stared at him for a moment, then exhaled loudly.

“Just put your clothes on Parvis.”

“Well, if you insist.” He started, taking the top off so he was standing there shirtless. Jenny squeaked again but Strife grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him back towards the back room just as the front door opened. Strife pushed him through the doorway and Parv vanished inside with a laugh.

 

The next few days flew by quickly, the anticipation for Halloween growing with every second. Sure, he wasn’t going trick-or-treating like he wanted, but the things he had planned would make up for it. It wouldn’t be fun going by himself anyway. Parv had spent some of the time costume shopping with Jenny - both scheming on what they were going to get Strife. Parv wanted to get something dorky, but Jenny suggested getting horns. Those with his suit would make for a pretty good devil.

The two of them went to several different stores, picking out the most revealing or laughable outfits they could find for each other, but Jenny eventually decided on a pirate. After Parv’s fair share of ‘hunting for the booty, yaar’ jokes, they moved on to look for one for him. He was stuck on being a vampire, mainly just for the amount of jokes he could make, but if they made Strife be the devil, he could show up as a demon or something along those lines.

He bugged her about the Halloween party, but she refused to give him any details which made him more excited. He doubted it was going to be huge, probably just the four of them, but he knew it was going to be fun. Parv already knew what he would do before then; he was going to put his plan into action and watch a few scary movies with Strife, and then hopefully they’d get into the real fun. He felt himself grinning again.

So on the thirtieth, Parv went back to the shop an hour or two before closing, knowing exactly the location they would go. The haunted house he picked out claimed to give you ‘the scariest night of your entire life’ which seemed promising. He danced through the door, entire body buzzing in anticipation which got a strange look from the man who was leaving as soon as he entered. They both already knew the plan, but Strife wasn’t as enthusiastic for it.

“Good evening, ladies and gents.” Parv said, walking over to the front counter, “You ready for tonight?”

“I can’t go, I’m sick.” Strife said, then coughed which was the fakest thing Parv had ever heard, “Such a shame, really.”

He grinned, “Well, then it’s a good thing I know of a cure.”

With the last word, he reached Strife who was standing at the edge of the glass counter. Parv leaned forwards and kissed him, his amusement growing when he felt Strife sigh after pulling away from the brief kiss. 

“Feel better?”

“You’re the worst.”

Parv quickly kissed him again, “You know it.”

Jenny made a gagging noise, so he turned his smug smile on her, “You want a turn?”

“I don’t wanna kiss the lips that kissed my boss.” Jenny said simply.

Strife turned and looked at her, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She gestured at Parv, “Who knows where those lips have been.”

Still grinning, Parv leaned forwards and wrapped himself around Strife, “I could list a few places.”

Jenny covered her ears, “Blah blah, I’m not listening!” She got up from the stool and ran around the counter towards the pack of the store.

Parv laughed but pulled away because someone else had just entered, and he knew random strangers wouldn’t wanna see it. Strife greeted the woman,but glanced over at his shoulder to Parv who simply waved him off and winked. There were only a few more hours to wait now, and he wasn’t quite sure what he’d do to pass the time. He put his hands on his hips and looked around but his gaze settled on Strife’s office. Maybe he could go cause trouble in there. He grinned.

 

Quarter past eleven, they were driving down a thin road out of town, almost completely devoid of cars. Their destination was out in the countryside, which Strife objected to going to at first because he tried to reason it was exactly the pace you’d get murdered on Halloween eve. It was an argument he had lost due to Parv’s non stop begging - who was now singing loudly to his playlist of Halloween songs.

Fields of corn sat on either side of them, high enough to cast shadows with the headlights that Parv easily mistook for people. It seemed endless until five minutes later. a well-lit sign on an large oak tree on the side of the road told them that parking for the haunted house attraction was to the left. Strife sighed loudly when Parv started bouncing in excitement again, then looked back at Jenny who rolled her eyes.

“Y’know,” Parv started, once they pulled into an area of cornfield that served as a parking lot. Twenty, maybe more cars were already there, “If you get scared we can hold hands.” He grinned at Strife.

Strife huffed, “There’s nothing scary about teenagers in plastic masks and fake knifes.”

He turned the engine off, plummeting the car into darkness. The eerie silence was only broken when Jenny opened her door first and the sounds of crickets greeted them; he squinted into the darkness once leaving the car too - in the distance he could see lights. He skipped over to Jenny who was putting on a sweater, shivering from the sudden breeze. He scooted closer to her as Strife locked the car.

“I can hold your hand too, if you want.” He winked.

Jenny sighed, “I can handle myself.” She paused, “Maybe you’re the one who needs their hand held.”

“I don’t get scared.” He replied proudly, “I can take on anything.”

Strife snorted, walking past them, “I’m sure we’ll see about that.”

The three of them walked back onto the gravel leading to the road, walking along the side like a bunch of hitch hikers. It was then Parv noticed why the lights had been distorted; they had to walk through a forest to get there. He glanced up, eyeing the dark trees so tall they could be touching the clouds, thin with branches stretching out like arms, but completely devoid of leaves. 

He added a bit of bounce to every step, the anticipation growing as they got closer. A haunted house in an equally spooky forest - someone had put a lot of effort into this and he wanted to shake their hand. He glanced over and grinned at Jenny, whose arms were crossed as if she were cold but he could tell she was nervous. Parv gave her a helpful smile before turning away. 

They crossed the road to see two people emerging from the dirt path leading into the woods; they were laughing, holding each other, unable to get words out properly but it seemed like they had a good time. Not that far into the trees, he could see the property; three run down barns attached to an old farmhouse, all fully decorated with tinsel. jack-o-lanterns, fake blood and spiderwebs. 

“Spooky.” Parv said, mainly to himself. He glanced over at Strife, “You sure you don’t need a hand to hold?”

Ignoring him, Strife rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. Up ahead, there were people lingering around, groups of teenagers by the looks of it, either talking to each other or taking pictures and trying to scare the others. Parv was so focused on them, he didn’t notice the figure dressed as a scarecrow jump from the woods to their left until Jenny screamed and ran into him in panic.

Startled, Parv reeled back on instinct with a yelp, tripping over his feet and would have fell to the ground had Strife not grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. He caught his breath, listening to Jenny curse the person under her breath, threatening to fight the next person who jumps out at them. Parv took a deep breath, feeling his heart race as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What happened to not getting scared?” Strife asked, a smug smile on his face.

Parv brushed himself off, “I wasn’t scared. Jenny just-” He cleared his throat, “-caught me off guard, is all.”

The smug smile stayed on Strife’s face as they continued forward, and Parv found himself inching away from the forest and closer to Strife, but he didn’t seem to notice. The walked towards the fenced in walkway, leading them towards the right where they would enter the first barn. There was someone already entering, so at least they wouldn’t be alone. A distant scream made him jump, but no one noticed.

With barely any light, the entrance to the barn was pitch black except for the faint glows coming within which he guessed he’d have to watch out for. Strife entered first, which he was lowkey grateful for though he didn’t express it on his face. Wooden walls depicted their path, so it wasn’t just some big empty dark space and he wasn’t sure if that was better or worse - he stepped in something sticky and swallowed nervously knowing it was probably fake blood. Maybe real blood.

Parv reached towards the wall, but as soon as his fingers made contact he withdrew it like it was fire when he felt something wet there. Maybe it was just cold? Better not risk it. He felt Jenny huddle close to him, muttering swear words under her breath again. He grinned, grabbing her shoulders suddenly with a ‘boo!’, making her jump. She sweared loudly at him, but Parv just laughed when she hit his shoulder. Neither of them had any time to recover, because a skeleton fell from the ceiling and they both screamed.

Up ahead, Strife was laughing. Somehow, he had missed it’s sneak attack and was paused a few feet away, looking back at them. Parv’s heart was racing, but he started laughing again, stopping to lean against the barn wall. Strife walked back over to them with a sigh, hands still in his pockets like none of this bothered him at all. He wasn’t scared yet, but he would be. Parv flashed Jenny a look which she understood immediately. Operation ‘Scare the Shit out of Strife’ was on. 

They continued their trek through the barn, brushing past fake (hopefully) spiderwebs along with spiders which were hanging from the ceiling. It was hard to see anything, which just made him more and more nervous. This barn seemed to be tame so far, but there were still two more plus the farmhouse they had to get through in one piece. He quickened his pace to keep up with Strife, who shrugged off the fake hand that reached for people out of the wall. 

Finally, they found the exit - a hole in the wall that was connected to the second barn via metal sheets. Parv enjoyed the moonlight for a few seconds before plunging back into the darkness. There was a fake candle lit a few feet from the entrance, illuminating a sign that told them there were two ways to go. Jenny opted to go right, so Parv headed down the left hallway with Strife. Something, or someone banged on the other side of the wall almost immediately, making them both jump.

Quickening his pace, Strife pretended not to be phased when Parv grinned and fell behind a few steps, wanting to watch both of their movements. Not three steps later, a scream from behind them made them both glance over their shoulders, but as soon as they turned back around, a figure emerged from a hole on the wall. Parv yelped, running right into Strife who jumped at the contact. He pushed the other forwards, in a hurry to leave the figure behind.

Parv stopped when he spotted a mirror at the end of the hallway - it was one of those special Halloween ones where if you waited long enough, a spooky ghost would appear in it. He simply grinned and grabbed Strife’s arm to pull the other to a stop as well.

“Look,” He pointed to Strife in the mirror, “The scariest thing of all.”

He smacked Parv on the back of the head.

Laughing, Parv continued his way through the hallway. His heart was pounding in his chest - the excitement mixed with slight fear was fun. So far this trip had turned out exactly the way he thought it would, but there were still a lot of scares to experience. He wondered what was waiting for them in the actual house. Was it tame, meant for them to relax? What if it was actually haunted? Unfocused, he barely even reacted to the sudden gust of cold air followed by the fog.

Out of nowhere, another figure burst from the fog to their right. Both of them yelled loudly, but Parv reeled back so fast he slammed his elbow into the wall, sending a wave of pain though it. Standing there laughing was Jenny, propping herself against the wall as she stared at the two of them; Strife brushed himself off in a huff, but she still laughed,

“God, you should have seen your face.” She caught her breath, “You were so scared!”

“I was not.” Strife responded “Startled, might be the correct word.”

Jenny wiped a tear from her eye, finally catching her breath, “Whatever you say. You’ll scream like a girl soon enough.”

They headed towards the exit; it was similar to the other in the fashion that it was simply two metal sheets connecting the barns together. As soon as he stepped inside, Parv felt the eeriness by how there was a singular light dangling from the rafters, and it flickered on and off for dramatic effect. The shadows it casted made him think there were figures everywhere - maybe some were fake, some were real. There was no way to be sure unless they continued through. 

A scream, presumably from the person they had seen go in before them, sounded from up ahead and Parv braced himself. Something crashed into the wall on their right so hard it actually dented inwards, making him and Jenny scream like children. It was quickly followed by another from the left side, which made Strife jump and curse under his breath. He wanted to laugh, but suddenly someone jumped from the shadows ahead of them with a chainsaw, revving it up.

The three yelled in unison, running into each other to get past the masked madman who was waving the chainsaw wildly above his head and cackling loudly. The person followed, so they didn’t stop running even when another figure emerged from a hole in the wall with a scythe, howling with insane laughter. Parv’s heart was pounding, trying to push Strife forwards so he could get the hell out of there. Suddenly, they lurched to a halt.

Parv squinted into the darkness; the light flickered on for a split second to show they had run into a dead end. He was about to suggest turning around when Jenny pointed out it was the barn door. He hurried over to it, light still flickering on and off , and pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge. Maybe this wasn’t the way they were supposed to go. Behind them, the chainsaw started up again -- would they have to run past the person, or did they have to open the exit?

The exit. That was what they had to do. A (fake) killer closing in and an exit that wouldn’t open? They were just trying to recreate the feeling of every horror movie ever, he decided. They were doing a damn good job of it, because he was scared out of his wits. He tried to yank on the handle and the door groaned in protest; the laughing behind them continued to get closer so he tried to pull harder. He had it admit, it was pretty exciting. 

Strife joined him in his effort to open the door. With two people, it slid open slightly - it appeared to roll open, so there were wheels attached. That would make it easier. Suddenly, it gave away and slid open just as the chainsaw wielder came into view.Jenny screamed again, slamming the barn door shut behind them, and the person just cackled. That must be why the door was closed in the first place. Open it, get scared, shut it for the next person.

Now that they were outside again, Parv looked around. There was a dirt path, leading them towards the trees again but the path was also fenced in so they wouldn't get mislead. Through the trees to their left, he could see where they had come from, and to their right was only more forest. The ground was littered with realistic bones along with blood coating the fence; if he looked far enough into the forest, he could see real looking graves. Maybe they were. 

Whispers of ‘turn back’, ‘they’ll kill you’ and ‘save us’ filled the air, interrupted by the occasional scream that Parv guessed was the word of a speaker. He knew it wasn’t really the thought to have right now, but he wondered how long this took to set up. Maybe they just left it like this year-round. The path curved and up ahead seemed to be a cellar attached to the farmhouse. One of the cellar doors were already open, so Parv leaned down and pulled the other open.

Old, rickety wooden stairs lead down into the darkness, only illuminated by the candle placed halfway down the stairs. Underground. Great. Just the place he wanted to be. According to every scary movie ever, that’s where most of the spooky things occurred. He could only wonder what the owners of this place had planned down in the basement. He glanced over to Strife whose lips were pursed in thought - he looked on edge, nervous - Parv grinned. 

Taking one for the team, Parv stepped into it first and descended into the dark, ducking under the low hanging ceiling. Strife, it seemed, wasn’t so lucky because there was a quiet bang followed by a string of curses and a helpful ‘you should probably duck’ from Jenny. At the bottom of the stairs, Parv felt a hand grab his ankle, so he screamed probably louder than he should have, and bolted in the darkness. Behind him, the other two laughed.

A large, wooden bookshelf sat in front of him, covered in jars on realistic brains, eyeballs and even a head or two which were all faintly illuminated by a candle sitting on the third shelf. Makeshift walls were put in place, guiding them through the basement in a maze-like fashion. He maneuvered around obstacles in the way, nearly tripping over several stray items.

Parv spotted an opening around the corner, so he hurried ahead and slid behind one of the bookshelves, even though he was sure there was a spider crawling up his arm. He squinted through the faint light, the candle nearby lighting up a small portion of the makeshift hallway - it was hard to pay attention because of the witch-like laughter that filled the basement, followed by the banging of doors and screams.

He heard Strife call out his name, so he grinned. Jenny was mumbling about how he probably ‘died of a heart attack’, so Parv shifted his feet and waited for them to get closer. He noticed shadows appear on the wall as they came around the corner, both of them looking around and obviously excepting a surprise attack, so he didn’t want to disappoint. 

Parv waited until they passed his spot before creeping out behind them, his footsteps covered by the shrill scream that echoed through the speakers. With a grin, he shouted ‘boo!’ before jumping on Strife, wrapping his arms around the others waist from behind. Strife, obviously taken by surprise, jumped at his touch and let out an incoherent noise of fear. Even Jenny got scared.

“Parvis!” Strife scolded, pausing as Parv started to laugh and hug tighter, “That wasn’t funny.”

“That’s because I scared you.” He mused, burying his face in the others neck, “It’s okay, you can admit it.”

“Hardy.” Strife mumbled.

Jenny sighed, rolled her eyes and then started walking away again, so Parv promptly pulled away from the other with a sigh and the two of them walked next to each other down the length of the hallway, the three of them jumped in fear when the mirror at the end of the hall suddenly lit up with a distorted, mutated face and another shrill scream filled the house. 

After five more minutes of wandering around in the dark, swearing and jumping because of sudden jump scares, laughing at each other's reactions, they finally reached the staircase that presumably head to the main level. Two scarecrows stood next to it, and Parv watched them suspiciously because one of them was probably real. Maybe both. Jenny went up first, then Strife followed. 

Parv had just started his ascent up the stairs, when one of the figures grabbed his arm. He yelped in surprise, and yanked his arm away so hard he fell into the wall. He scrambled up the stairs to where the other two were waiting. Parv stopped to catch his breath, stretching as he glanced around (hopefully) the last room. It appeared to be a backroom, red light flickering on and off.

He opened the door, coming face to face with a figure dressed in black, that lunged towards him. Again, he let out a high pitched shriek and fell backwards, but was caught by someone. The figure didn’t waste any time before turning and vanishing out of view. Parv glanced back to see Strife was the one who caught him, so he flashed a thankful smile only met with a roll of the eyes. 

The three of them filed out of the room - Blood red light continued to flicker on and off, but every five seconds or so, the house was plunged into darkness and a scream or hysterical laughter echoed though. He could hear distant zombie moans, high pitched screaming like it came from children, and banging so loud it sounded like thunder. There wasn’t a second that went by where the house wasn’t silent. 

Parv’s eyes flickered to the end of the hallway; The front door was in sight, light shining through the grey stained glass windows casting ominous shadows on the wooden floor. He squinted - could it be that easy? He headed towards it, only jumping due to the sudden scream, but there were no jump scares. He twisted the doorknob, but it was locked. There was keyhole, but no key in sight. 

Time for a treasure hunt. He grinned at the thought; it was a clever way to get the people to explore around the house, knowing they’d get scared along the way. Jenny suggested checking upstairs while the two of them searched this floor, so he watched as she quickly ascended the wooden staircase and held onto the railing for dear life while glancing around nervously. 

Strife lead them into the room immediately to the right of the entrance; his pace had gotten quicker and it was clear he wanted to leave. Was it because he was tired? Parv’s smiled remained. No, the haunted house had finally started to scare him. He followed into what appeared to be the living room; two ripped brown couches sat against the walls; their insides were scattered all over the room.

A realistic looking corpse sat in the reclined position at the end of one, slumped over with part of its arm missing. An almost fully decomposed figure was laying down on the second couch, like they had fallen asleep and never woken up. Parv had a sneaking suspicion the two of them had to move the figures to look under them, or even search their clothing for the key. He swallowed nervously. Strife went over to the cabinet that held the TV and began searching through it. 

Parv headed over to the couch, squinting as the red light continued to flicker. It was hard to focus with all the different noises, he barely heard Strife swear to himself when a fake hand reached out of the cubby holes and tried to grab him. With a sigh, Parv reached the first body and tensed up when he thought he saw it shift. He slowly reached into one of its pockets, cringing when his fingers touched something sticky. Nothing in there. A shiver went down his spine. 

He quickly searched the other pockets, then glanced over his shoulder at Strife, but the other wasn't there anymore. His heart started pounding in nervousness; this room seriously creeped him out and he wanted to leave right now even if the key was there. He’d break down the door if he had to. Parv quickly left the room and turned the corner, only to come face to face with Strife whom he almost ran right into. He yelped in surprise and the other started laughing.

The sound of thunder snapped him out of his daze, so the two of them walked back down the hall towards the room they had first come from. Instead, Parv steered them in the direction the figure had walked, unsure if there were more people waiting to scare them. At his feet, a black cat scurried by which admittedly, he almost kicked across the house. He definitely wasn't expecting any living things (besides people), so he had tensed in shock.

Parv entered an empty room, light hanging by wires from the ceiling though it still flickered the same color as the rest if the house. A rocking chair sat in the corner, slowly rocking back and forth with a deformed teddy bear resting on it, staring at them. He moved across the room, noticing a closet out of the corner of his eye. Before he could move towards it, he heard a faint voice call out to them. Jenny. She claimed to have found the key, but Parv was curious. 

He swung open the closet doors and that same dark, hooded figure from before lunged out at him, screeching like a pterodactyl. Parv reeled backwards, making almost the same noise. It obviously scared both of them, because he felt Strife grab him and yank him back towards the door, but another figure appeared there as well, this time with a chainsaw. Was it the same person from the maze? Parv had no idea, and he didn’t care, because his heart was trying to kill him.

Parv was pulled past the figure and back down the hall to where Jenny was waiting with the door open, but they ran past her. They didn’t stop running until they were off the porch and on the front lawn, where Jenny eventually followed and was laughing hysterically at them. Parv ran a hand through his hair, sighing in relief that it was finally over, but was still pumped up on adrenaline - that entire experience was freaky, but it was well worth it. 

“Jeez, you should have seen your faces,” Jenny laughed between breaths, “I don’t know what you saw, but something scared the crap outta you.”

Parv glanced over at Strife, who wasn’t denying the accusation. He was simply staring up at the sky, probably trying to recover from the scares. He eyed Jenny who was smiling at them both.

“Fine..” Strife grumbled, “It was scary, I’ll admit it.”

“You screamed like a five year old.” Parv pointed out, grinning, “Those spiders in the maze got you.”

Strife turned his head and narrowed his eyes, “For someone who claimed not to get scared by anything, you sure did a lot of screaming too.”

Parv stuck his tongue out in defiance.

“Okay, children.” Jenny sighed, crossing her arms, “You were both equally scared, going by how you’re still holding hands..”

Parv blinked and glanced down at his side. She was right; they were holding hands, fingers intertwined: he knew Strife had grabbed him, but he hadn't realized it was by the hand. A smile formed on his face, growing so big he had to bit his lip to contain it - he knew it was a spur of the moment thing, but they hadn’t held hands before and it was a really nice feeling. Parv smiled over at Strife who had taken notice, but the other slipped his hand from Parv’s grasp and glanced away, noticeably flustered. 

He only let disappointment flood through him for a single moment because he noticed right after a faint smile on Strife’s face, but he decided not to point it out.

“It’s late.” Jenny said after rolling her eyes, “We should get going, I’m super tired.”

“I hear that.” Parv replied, stretching his arms above his head, “I need to get my beauty sleep..” He glanced at Strife, “Unless you wanna sleep together,” He added with a wink.

Strife rubbed his hands on his face, “I think I’ll pass. Besides. you’re gonna need a lot of rest.”

“Wow.” 

Jenny stepped in before either of them could say anything else, “It’s Halloween tomorrow, boys. Try not to kill each other before then.”

Parv looked at Strife, “I’m coming over tomorrow so no promises.”

“You’d better not.”

He smiled.

 

Parv showed up at Strife’s apartment the next day on a mission.

It was Halloween, he had been tasked with ‘distracting Strife’ only for a few hours, but it was nine in the morning and he planned on keeping the other from going to work all together. In his hands, he held three different Halloween movies and had the intention to watch all of them. Parv had already texted Jenny his plan but hadn’t got a reply yet, so he stuck to just walking down the hall to the apartment complex he wouldn’t have guessed the other lived in. 

He knew Strife wasn’t going to be expecting him; he was either still sleeping or getting ready to leave - he was definitely the type of person who’d leave for work at the ass crack of dawn. Maybe he was already gone, on his way to work and Parv had just missed him. He sighed. Only one way to find out. Smiling, he pulled out his phone as he reached Strife’s door, then peered in through the peephole knowing he wouldn’t see anything on the other side. 

what would you do if I came to ur place right now

There was a few moments of silence before he got a reply.

That’d be very inconvenient, as I’m about to shower.  
without me? ;)  
Perhaps if you show up in the next three seconds, I’ll consider it.  
well im glad you said that because

At the last word, Parv knocked loudly on the door, grin still on his face as he put his phone away. Five seconds passed before he heard it unlock from the other side, and the door swung open. Strife stood there, (unfortunately not naked or in a towel), in a simple white tee shirt and boxers - he sighed at the sight of Parv and rolled his eyes. Parv skimmed him over, enjoying the sight in front of him.

Parv whistled, “Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“My boxers don’t have pockets, and I’m never happy to see you.”

“Aw, don’t be mean.” He pouted.

Strife sighed, “Why are you here, Parv?”

Parv struck a pose while leaning against the door frame, “Well, you made an offer that was so good I developed super speed.” He grinned, eyes flickering over the other, “I hope the waters warm, we might be in there a while.”

“I said I’d consider it,” Strife reminded him, though he looked slightly flustered, “And you took too long getting here, so the offer’s off the table.” 

He scoffed, “I’ll have to be faster next time, then.”

The other rolled his eyes and turned away from the door, leaving it open for Parv who triumphantly stepped inside and shut it behind him. He glanced around the spacious area; he had only been here three or four times, and it always looked the same, like he never moved any furniture around or decorated. The curtains were drawn, letting sunlight stream into the apartment, revealing the many dust particles floating through the air.

“Y’ever thought of hiring an interior designer?” Parv mused, glancing around as Strife walked over to the fridge, “This place could use some razzle dazzle.”

Strife glanced over at him, “What the hell is razzle dazzle?”

Parv did jazz hands.

Rolling his eyes again, Strife went back to searching the fridge, so Parv sighed and put his hands on his hips while looking around. His gaze eventually landed back on Strife, who was now drinking OJ from the carton. He tilted his head, taking his time enjoying the others clothing choice. When Strife noticed him staring, he gave him an amused expression. 

“Can I help you with something?”

Parv bit his lip, “Are you a pizza? ‘Cause I want a pizza that ass.”

To his surprise, Strife actually laughed at his lame pickup line. God knows how many times he had used one on Strife, but they never got more than an eye roll or a sigh.

“God, I don’t know why I keep you around.” 

Parv grinned, “For my quality commentary and bad jokes? Since I know you don’t get any of that with Jenny.”

He mumbled something and turned to put the drink back in the fridge while Parv walked over to the sleek counter top, then sat down on one of two black bar stools. Luckily for him and unfortunately for Strife, these chairs spun yet also squeaked slightly. Which is what he immediately began doing, much to the deadpan expression on Strife’s face.

“So, just a shirt and underwear, huh?” Parv pondered as he set the movies down, spinning around once, “I would have assumed you slept in a suit, or something.”

“Mm.” Strife mused, “So you’re under the impression that I’m pretentious?”

“Aren’t you?” Parv asked a little too innocently. 

He raised a nearby whisk, threatening to hit Parv who shot off the chair faster than a speeding bullet with a giggle. He turned back around to see Strife running a hand through his hair after sighing; he had mentioned giving him a haircut, but Strife didn’t want him anywhere near his head with a razor or scissors. Parv had been personally offended. 

“By all means, let me go get dressed.” Strife said, walking from the kitchen.

“Oh please,” Parv grinned, stepping into his path, “Don’t cover up by my account.”

Strife took a step forward, closing most of the space between them, “Well, I can’t remain half naked while you’re fully dressed. It’s indecent.”

“Let me fix the situation for you, then..” He mused, letting his jacket slide off his shoulders. He was still in a black long sleeve and jeans, but hopefully not for long, “Better?”

The other studied him for a moment, as if deciding what to think. Parv tilted his head to the side, knowing exactly what he was going to say, “It’s Saturday,” He lowered his voice, putting his hands on Strife’s shoulders and got even closer, “You’re not going to work.”

“Oh? Says who?”

“Me. I’m your new boss.”

Strife snorted, but didn’t complain when Parv slung his arms around his shoulders, a smug expression on his face.

“Don’t make me hit you.” Strife told him.

He licked his lips, “With what?”

Exhaling loudly, Strife shrugged out of his embrace and walked around him to go down the hallway. Parv sighed loudly and returned back over to the counter where he had set down his movies, grabbed them and then turned to the living room. As he walked, he glanced back over to where Strife had re-emerged this time in sweat pants. Nice. He hadn’t gotten fully dressed, so that meant he was going to at least consider Parv’s option of staying home.

“So,” He started, “Explain why I’m not going to work, again?”

“Because it’s Saturday, you don’t need another reason.” Parv replied, walking around the couch to reach the TV, “It’s also Halloween.”

Strife walked over as he stretched, “I’m just thinking about your ulterior motive.”

“Nonsense.” Parv waved him off with a grin, “Me? With something else planned?”

The other walked over to him, “You’re up to something, I can tell.” Strife cocked his head to the side in thought, “You’ve got that look in your eye.” He reached out and took the three movies from Parv’s hands and eyed them over.

“You’re delusional if you think I’m trying to do anything besides hang out with you,” Parv pointed out as Strife read the back of one, “Horror movies and Chill, that is.” 

Strife glanced back up at him, “I’m under the impression that ‘chill’ is code for something else.”

He sauntered forward with suave, stopping so close to Strife they were nearly touching, then lowered his voice as if there were other people in the room.

“We’ll just have to wait and see then, won’t we?”

“I guess we will.”

Biting his lip to contain his smile, Parv simply backed up and plucked the movies from the others hand, holding them up for them both to see.

“So! What one first? ‘The sixth door’? ‘The fear’?”

Strife sighed, “ ‘Scream into the night’ sounds the worst of the three.”

“You wanna watch it?”

“Naturally.”

Twenty minutes, two bags of chips and a lot of fighting over the volume later, the two of them were sitting next to each other on the couch, laughing at the bad acting and movie effects. The movie took place in a log cabin in the woods no less, and the group of teenagers had encountered an old guy who warned them about the random screaming they’d no doubt hear. The teenagers, as they do, simply laughed and made a lot of sex jokes about how there sure would be screaming.

The acting was even worse than the suspense the movie tried to create, which made them both laugh when the teens overreacted to the smallest of things. He had been so busy not taking the movie seriously, Parv actually jumped when a figure slammed open the door and grabbed one of the teenagers. Of course, the movie didn’t show who, or what, the thing was while the guy was dragged off screaming for his life.

The only time Parv noticed Strife get nervous from the film was when a girl was sleeping and someone let a tarantula in through the window; the music was low and dramatic as the creature crawled across the room and onto the bed - where it forced its way into her mouth and she started choking. She had bolted awake with a scream, realizing it was only a dream. Strife had visibly relaxed after the scene changed, and Parv didn’t blame him.

The movie came to its thrilling conclusion two and a half hours later when the lone teenage girl and her boyfriend managed to escape through the forest and find a road. They had hitchhiked until a man in a pickup truck had found them. The doors had locked, the man started driving and then started to laugh. ‘You kids weren’t supposed to escape’ he said, and they realized it was the old man. Parv sighed as the screen turned black, followed by a scream.

As the credits rolled, Strife got up to refill the chip bowl while Parv went to change the movie, deciding to watch ‘the sixth door’ next. He hummed to himself, thankful the day was going as he hoped it would; there was no complaining from Strife and he agreed almost automatically not to go into work. He glanced over as Strife returned with the chips.

“We’re gonna watch movies all night.” He told the other.

“Define ‘all night’.”

“Until dawn, at the earliest.” Parv said helpfully.

“You’re almost tolerable like this.” Strife told him, “it’s nice.”

Parv stood, “Well, I’d assume it’s what couples do.”

He regretted the word choice as soon as it left his mouth, because Strife turned towards him raised his eyebrows in amusement.

“Couples?”

Parv felt his face get warm, “Um. Couples. Y’know, couples of people? Groups.. a few..” He cleared his throat, “Uh.. Just..” Fuck it. “Yeah, a couple.”

He felt his face get warmer when Strife gave him a friendly smile.

“A couple, we’re a couple, I think.” Parv said, mainly to himself as if testing how that sounded, “I mean, uh, do you wanna be?”

The smile remained on Strife’s face, “I was under the impression that we already were, Parvis.”

“It’s okay if you don’t-” He shot off immediately, then stopped himself, hitting the brakes at full force. “Wait, what?”

Strife cocked his head to the side in amusement, “How does that shock you? You’re usually on top of all this stuff.”

Parv’s head was spinning. He wasn’t really sure what to think.

“Well, I mean, yeah, but I didn’t..” He paused, “know that you thought we were..”

“Together?” 

Hearing Strife say that made him flustered - they never talked about this before and he certainly hadn’t planned on having this conversation right now. When Lexa had first brought it up, he meant to say something but never had the right moment. 

“I uh.. just thought..” He paused again as a sudden thought hit him, “So - wait a second. You thought I was.. your boyfriend?”

“Parv-”

“I literally cannot believe this,” Parv ran his hands through his hair, “You assumed you had a boyfriend. William Strife assumed he had a boyfriend before I even did. Boyfriends!”

Strife sighed, “Can you please stop saying the word boyfriend?”

“Then if you and I,” He gestured wildly between the two of them, “are together, what word are we supposed to use? Significant other? Lover? Sweetheart?” He crinkled his nose, “Mate?” And then he added in a southern accent, “Partner?”

Strife still looked amused, “If you’d prefer, we don’t have to use any of those terms.”

“No! No, I just..it’s confusing.” Parv grumbled, looking away from the others gaze, “I’m dumb.”

“Well, yes.” Strife laughed and Parv glanced back up, “But I don’t particularly blame you. We’ve never talked about it. About us.”

He huffed, “I never really thought about it until Lexa assumed you were my boyfriend. I think I’ve been avoiding it because of you.”

Walking around the couch after having set the chips down, Strife stopped when he was standing in front of Parv, who was still flustered. 

“I may have seemed that way, but I’m not an idiot, Parvis.” Strife mused, “I could put together that one plus one equals two: going on your version of a date,” Parv opened his mouth to protest, but the other simply continued, “Spending considerable amounts of time on this couch,” His smile nearly turned into a smirk, both of them knowing what that really meant, “Hell, the kissing.”

Parv turned and dropped himself on the couch, sighing loudly as the words settled into his mind. That was easier than how he thought it was going to go down - Strife sat down on the couch next to him, still giving him that amused expression. They could watch a movie now, but after that conversation, he was in the mood for something different. Parv eyed Strife, who immediately recognized his mischievous expression, then glanced to the wall clock. They still had a few more hours to kill.

“You’ve looked at the clock three times now,” Strife mused, “Have you got somewhere to be?”

Parv shifted in his seat so that he was facing the other, “Actually,” He licked his lips, “ I’m exactly where I need to be.”

“Hm.” Strife hummed, “I really should head into town. Just to check how things are going.”

“Oh that’s a terrible idea,” Parv purred, shifting closer. Any closer and he’d be sitting on the others lap, “You definitely shouldn’t do that.”

Strife narrowed his eyes in hidden amusement, “And I suppose you’re going to stop me?”

“Mhm.” He grinned, moving to straddle Strife’s lap slowly, then relaxed as he leaned in to wrap his arms around the other man’s shoulders, “I could think of something else you could be doing..”

He felt Strife’s hands slide up his thighs to rest on his hips, “You hold a persuasive argument.”

Eyes shining with mischief, he leaned forward and kissed Strife, attempting to start slow, gently pressing their lips together as a shiver of delight shot through him. Parv tilted his head, teasing his tongue into the others mouth and grinned when Strife groaned. He took his time with the familiar sensation of his mouth, enjoying the warmth and moans he could draw from it. He pulled away after a few very long seconds with his smile still lingering.

“You’re up to something..” Strife mumbled, though it was clear he didn’t care.

Parv leaned forward and kissed him again, “I have no idea what you’re talking about..” He tilted his head and trained his eyes on Strife’s lips, “It’s not like I’m some sort of distraction,” Another long kiss, then he drew away to admire Strife’s amused expression.

Feeling Strife’s hands slowly caress his thighs, Parv shivered, “And if you were, say, a distraction,” This time the blonde kissed him, thumbs brushing under Parv’s shirt, “What would it be for?”

“That would ruin the surprise, Strifey.” He murmured.

Strife’s hands continued to roam up his shirt, “You know I don’t like surprises.”

“Mm, then this is going to be a bad afternoon for you.” He added, leaning in to kiss Strife again.

With no complaint, the kiss got deeper than it had previously been, shifting himself just enough so that they both felt it and moaned into each others mouths.

He broke away for air, then started hungrily kissing at Strife’s neck, leaving a trail of kisses all the way down to his collarbone where he bit playfully, then sucked at the skin just above it hard enough that he knew there was going to be a mark later. He hummed in satisfaction upon hearing Strife moan his name quietly, his hands sliding up Parv’s back to pull him even closer. Parv pressed deep kisses back up his neck, then rolled their hips together and gasped at the hardness he already felt. 

Parv slid his fingers into Strife’s hair, tilting the blond’s head back as he nibbled at his jaw, kissing every inch of exposed skin. He knew where to touch and kiss; he knew how easily Strife fell apart with him in control like this - he thought about how quickly the other had gotten turned on simply by a little dirty talk.. maybe he should bring that back. He grinned against Strife’s neck, but continued to rub himself on Strife, his own pants getting tighter by the second.

“Y’know what?” Parv mused, lips against Strife’s neck, “Maybe I should be a vampire for Halloween..”

He was kissing Strife before he could even reply, but he felt the heat radiate from the others face which was oddly satisfying. Teasingly, Parv barely pulled away, lips still ghosting over each other as his hands fiddled with the string on Strife’s oh-so-easily-removed sweatpants. He grinned when Strife’s breath caught in his throat at the realization of what he was doing. Parv buried his face back in the others neck, kissing softly as he snuck his hand into Strife’s pants and pulled out his erection.

Strife was already hard in his hands, and he gasped when Parv’s long fingers wrapped around it, thumb brushing over the head. Slowly, teasingly, he started pumping this hand along the shaft while continuing to bite Strife’s neck, knowing there’d be more than a few noticeable marks tomorrow. He moaned Parv’s name, squirming under his touch while Strife’s fingernails dug into his side, but he found himself not caring in the heat of the moment. 

When he started to feel the head start to drip with precum, he promptly pulled his hand away which earned a disappointed sound from Strife. but he was quickly silenced when Parv slid out of his grasp, off his lap and onto the ground in front of him, where he positioned himself in between Strife’s legs with a devious grin. Realizing his full intent, Strife turned a dark shade of red as Parv licked his lips and turned his attention back to the cock in his hand.

Parv leaned forward, his breath ghosting over the tip as he decided how he was going to handle it., He kept one hand on the base, rubbing softly while he teased the tip with his tongue, swirling it around before finally lowering himself to put the head in his mouth. He bobbed up and down on it slowly, drawing a long groan from Strife and he hummed in satisfaction. Parv shifted himself as he took more of Strife into his mouth, determined to get most of it but stroked what he couldn’t fit with his hand.

He heard Strife breathe out his name, and seconds later his hand was caressing the side of Parv’s face before grabbing a handful of his dark hair. He would have grinned if he could, but instead he just focused on pleasing Strife with his mouth, tongue lapping the underside while he started to move slightly faster, still rubbing the base in sync. Finally, he started to feel Strife move his hips and pull at his hair which in turn, made Parv moan quietly. 

After finding his rhythm, Parv continued to go the same speed; not too fast but still slow enough to tease, until he felt Strife grab his hair with his other hand as well, which gave him an odd sense of achievement. He was panting now, moaning Parv’s name between each breath, coming undone simply by Parv’s mouth and hand - he tried to ignore the heat pooling in his lower abdomen to just focus on what he was doing, but arousal was clouding his mind. 

Between breaths, he heard Strife say he was going to come, but Parv still had other ideas. He pulled away, Strife making a noise of protest in return. He leaned away from the sight in front of him, but remained on his knees as he glanced up at the other, grinning as he wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, which made Strife even more flushed. Without a word, he slowly lifted himself upwards and pressed their lips together as he tugged Strife’s pants and boxers off completely. 

After climbing back into his lap, Parv eagerly kissed at Strife’s face; feeling the heat against his lips which only made him grin again. When he started to kiss down his neck again, He felt Strife start to tug at his jeans, fingers fiddling with the zipper. He was proving to be a worthy distraction, biting the skin where a mark had already started to form and making Strife groan under his touch. He pulled away, ghosting his lips over Strife’s.

“I change my mind,” He cooed, “I think I want to be a witch.” 

Strife was still breathing heavily, “Bastard..”

Parv’s grin grew but he kissed the other again before sliding off once more, staring down at the other as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down. Strife watched with a half lidded gaze as Parv’s cock sprung free from his boxers.

“Still want that lap dance?” He grinned

Strife shifted, “Later, perhaps.”

Humming in approval, Parv lowered himself back onto the couch where he resumed straddling Strife’s hips, skin brushing against each other which made them both moan quietly. Wasting no time, he pressed his lips back to Strife’s while he grabbed his face with both hands, grinding their hips together as Strife’s hands slid up and down his thighs.

He pulled away for a brief moment, groping the end table for the bottle of lube as he felt Strife’s hands wander. Strife took it from him when they resumed the kiss so Parv’s hands went back to the others face, moaning as their hips rocked again.

“Almost grabbed the Pepsi,” Parv mumbled into his lips

Strife let out a breathy laugh, but didn’t say anything.

“Now.. where did I put that broomstick?” He purred, hand traveling down Strife’s chest, “Oh,” His hand slowly wrapped around Strife’s shaft, “Found it.”

“Not as big as your average broom, though.” Strife mumbled, letting Parv kiss him again.

“Yet big enough to ride,” He grinned, enjoying the dark shade of red Strife’s face returned to.

Kissing Strife again as he heard the cap open, Parv adjusted himself slowly, enjoying the warmth of their bodies pressed together before he heard the bottle be carelessly tossed to the side. He then slowly lowered himself onto Strife’s cock, shivering in pleasure as both of them exhaled from the feeling. Parv felt himself smile as he screwed his eyes shut and grabbed Strife’s shoulders. He licked his lips in anticipation, moaning quietly as Strife shifted under him.

When the other muttered under his breath to move, Parv took a deep breath and lifted himself slightly before lowering back down, opening his eyes to admire the breathless and flustered Strife below him. He let out a breathy laugh, still continuing that slow rhythm with his hips as he leaned into kiss Strife again, who had since placed his hands on Parv’s waist. As soon as he pulled away, the blond rested his head back on the couch and moaned.

Parv bit back a moan of his own, grip tightening on the others shoulders as he sped up the pace slightly and found the spot which made warmth spread throughout his entire body. Strife was muttering under his breath again, fully relaxing with another groan. Parv went back to kissing his exposed neck, pressing his lips to every inch of skin and felt his Adam's apple bob when Strife swallowed. He breathed heavily into the side of it when he felt heat start to pool in his stomach.

Just to tease, he tried to slow the pace again and grinned when he heard Strife curse him under his breath. Parv pulled back and desperately connected their lips again, tongues meeting when they moaned at the taste of each other. He couldn't help himself; Parv started bouncing his hips faster and enjoyed the sounds that came out of Strife which encouraged him to keep going, unable to ignore the heat building up.

They moaned into each other’s mouths, Strife only pulling back to mumble that he was close and Parv admittedly wasn’t far behind. He could only lean back and pick up the pace, bringing the warmth back which each thrust and whimpered when Strife started whispering his name in both pleasure and desperation. Fingernails digging into Strife’s shoulders, he allowed the heat to push through him as he came loudly - Strife followed seconds later with a string of curses.

The next few moments were a blur; Parv hadn’t even been aware that he stopped moving and leaned into Strife because his ears were ringing and the two of them were breathing heavy again. He felt one of Strife’s hands on his back while the other remained on his hip, and Parv’s face was now nuzzled into his neck, lazily placing kisses there.

“I think,” Parv started, “deciding to be a which was a good idea.”

Strife let out another breathy laugh, “Yeah.” He paused to catch his breath, “But the vampire is more preferable.”

He pulled back with a smug smile, “I can switch back, if you want.”

“Jesus.” Strife mumbled, “Settle down.”

“You can’t control me.”

“No, I certainly can’t.”

Parv giggled, and then glanced over his shoulder at the clock. They were slightly late. Even later by the time they got dressed. He sighed and turned back around.

“C’mon Strifey,” He smiled, “we should go. It’s time for the surprise.”

“I think I’ve had enough surprises for one day.”

Parv adjusted himself so he was more comfortable, ignoring the mess between them for the moment.

“Please?” He pouted, “It’ll be fun.”

Strife sighed, “Your definition of fun, or mine?”

Parv grinned and kissed him, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Rolling his eyes, Strife reluctantly agreed so Parv got off his lip with another giggle and almost tripped over himself. They still had to clean up, so maybe the fun wasn’t over yet.

 

On the way to the shop, Parv forgot how excited he was supposed to be. He was still extremely flustered from earlier, realizing now how both incredible and raunchy it had been. He was in a daze and trying to wipe the smile off his face, but every time Strife looked over at him, it got bigger. The other was notably just as surprised as him, but neither parties were complaining. Parv thought he was going to come out of that uninjured, but now he started to ache. The thought made him grin again.

He couldn't help but let out a slurred giggle as they approached the door, earning another raised eyebrow stare from Strife, but even he smiled as well.The door was unlocked, but the window blinds were closed and prevented them from seeing inside. Parv tried to be quiet about opening the door even though he knew about the stupid bell because he wanted to surprise the two at their own surprise party. He walked in and scanned the shop.

The lights were off, so the first thing he noticed was the dim room illuminated orange by jack-o-lantern lights hanging from wall-to-wall. Behind him, he heard Strife sigh at the sight of spiders and skeletons dangling from hidden strings on the ceiling. Most shelves and bins were covered with a white sheet which made Parv wonder if they were supposed to be ghosts. He ventured further into the store, glancing around for the girls.

Suddenly, the two girls jumped out from behind a tall shelf with a loud ‘boo!’ which admittedly scared Parv more than he let on. After his initial shock, he started giggling again. Well, there went his plan to scare them instead.

“Hey boys, took you long enough!” Jenny laughed, then eyed Parv, “You must have been one hell of a distraction.”

He smiled smugly and then looked over at Strife who simply rolled his eyes.

“Heya Mr. Strife, “ Lexa waved, “Hope you don’t mind what we’ve done with the place.”

Jenny rolled her eyes, “Oh please, call him Will.”

“Jenny’s right,” Strife sighed, “Just Will or Strife is fine. And I suppose I can’t complain.”

Lexa beamed.

“So.” Jenny eyed the two of them, and then her gaze settled on Strife, “Do I even want to question those marks on your neck?”

Instinctively, he pulled the collar of his shirt up a little more which made them all laugh so Parv gave him a sly wink.

“Raccoon fight.” Strife told her.

“Yeah,” Parv piped in, “I hear those things can be quite dangerous.”

Jenny rolled her eyes and Lexa gave them both a knowing look.

“Your costumes are in the back room.” She told them, “Can we leave you two alone for two seconds or will you start going at it again?” 

“Please, Jenny, Will’s a professional.” Parv said, “Why would you ever doubt him?”

Jenny ran a hand through her hair and mumbled something about dumb boys, and Parv turned his head to notice Strife looking at him.He didn’t say anything or look away, but eventually Strife’s lips pulled up in a warm smile, which made a spark of happiness shoot through Parv. He quickly returned the smile and a pleasant buzz of energy shot through him. Still smiling like a dork, Parv glanced away as it turned into a grin.

“Parv?”

He turned back, trying to contain his smile, “Yeah?”

Strife studied him for a long moment as if deciding what to say; a lot of emotions flashed in his eyes all at once, but Parv could read him. Instead, Strife sighed.

“You’re an idiot.”

Parv’s grin got so wide his cheeks started to ache, “But I’m your idiot.”

He heard Jenny go ‘aww’ but the two were smiling at each other again. Instead of saying anything else, Parv simply reached out and took Strife’s hand, intertwining their fingers. After a long moment, he finally turned back to the other two.

“Let’s get this party started.”


End file.
